Demon Heat
by nox-alatus
Summary: Six months after the road trip that changed everything, Rachel is ready to resume her life. TOTAL SPOILERS UP TO PALE DEMON, then takes a left turn. Rated M for language and lemons.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** This is my first shot writing a Rachel Morgan fic, so bear with me as I stumble through the characters. Just kidding! I had a blast writing this. This is going to be a multiple chapter story, updated semi-frequently. (I'm currently working on several novels and short stories, in addition to Script Frenzy in April)

Review are love! Let me know what you like, what you hate, how OOC I took the characters, etc. Constructive criticism is always welcomed, flamers can bite me. Everyone who is still following from back in the day with Sookie and Eric, let me know if I still have it or if I need to go back to FanFic101.

Much love to you all, reviews are appreciated. I hope you enjoy the story!

**MAJOR PALE DEMON SPOILERS AHEAD**

**SERIOUSLY, IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE BOOK**

**GO DO IT BEFORE READING THIS**

* * *

I lovingly stroked the steering wheel of my new-to-me Eclipse convertible as I wove through the Cincinnati traffic easily. Edden had pulled some strings and gotten me into the police auction where I bought the sleek burgundy car. For the thousandth time, I praised the captain, this time remembering to include Trent. The elf was the only reason I could drive at all, seeing as he found a loophole in the state's excuse for taking my license.

Whatever the reason behind it, I was driving to Trent's compound for a little get together with my god-babies to give them their Christmas presents. Jenks was with me, taking the opportunity to get out of the church. Said pixy was coming to the end of his version of the '12 Days of Christmas'.

I interrupted him as he took a deep breath to start another bawdy carol. "You do realize I'm going to borrow Quen's little glass ball and shove you in if you talk like that around the girls, don't you?"

"Duh, Rache. Why do you think I'm getting it out of my system now?"

Rolling my eyes, I turned down the two-lane road that would take me out to Trent's. Jenks had been in an inordinately good mood lately, ever since he and Belle had come to a truce. The wingless fairy was now staying inside with the pixies, sharing the desk for the winter. She would never be Matalina, but she had become a sort of surrogate mother figure for the brood, helping keep them under control when Jenks wasn't around.

The guard at the gatehouse waved me through as I slowed. As much as I missed my red Mustang, this car was just as recognizable. I still wasn't sure if that was a good or a bad thing. The I.S. still stopped me every chance they got, the F.I.B. never stopped me, and people always stared, knowing who was inside.

Rachel Morgan, the day-walking demon. Trent had been right about people coming after me for notoriety. When people finally realized I wasn't bringing society to its knees because I was evil incarnate, the thrill-seekers started showing up. Some tried to fight me, some tried to banish me, and oddly enough, some tried to worship me. Stupid black witches. I sent them all running with tails tucked between their legs.

I parked the car in between a BMW and a Mercedes. My vehicle definitely wasn't in the same class, but it didn't look too out-of-place. Jenks dove into my bag to cuddle with a hand warmer and I stepped into the freezing wind, carrying a giant box full of wrapped presents. Cincinnati winter sucked.

Quen was waiting for me when I walked in the professional part of the building. Jenks flew out and landed on my shoulder, cuddling into my neck as his wings finished warming. The elf took the box from me and I grinned. "How are my babies?"

"Burgeoning terrors." We walked side-by-side towards the private areas, leaving the tittering receptionist behind. "They're just learning how to get around and already wreaking havoc. It's going to be impossible when they actually start walking." His soft smile belied his harsh words.

"Hmph. Try having dozens of kids flitting around and getting into everything, then talk to me about impossible." Jenks flew off, staying well below the sticky silk lacing the ceiling. "Rache, you should have worn your earrings. Sitting on your shoulder isn't all that comfortable."

"Last time Lucy saw my hoops she tried to rip them out of my ear. I'd like to keep them in tact, thank you very much."

I opened the door to the living area and Quen smiled in thanks. Tensing slightly at the noise of happy children, I closed the door behind us and looked around the room. A giant pine tree took up one corner of the room, practically dripping with ornaments. Several stockings were lined up on the mantel, each of them bearing a different name. Ceri was radiant, sitting on the carpet and playing peek-a-boo with the shrieking elf girls. Trent was sitting at a small desk against the wall, going over some paperwork.

Quen cleared his throat. "We have company." Trent looked up from his work, a smile crossing his face and disappearing so quickly I wasn't sure if I imagined it. Ceri stood up with a boneless grace and floated over to me, her royal heritage showing with every move.

"Rachel! I'm so glad to see you! You look great."

I returned her hug, breathing in the scent of elf mixed with baby powder. "You too, Ceri. You're practically glowing." Blushing prettily, she took my head and led me to the girls as Quen arranged the presents underneath the tree.

I sat on the couch, picking up Lucy when she lifted her hands to me. Unsurprised, I still winced when her little hands were immediately buried and tangled in my curls. Jenks laughed himself silly, dusting gold everywhere while Ceri patiently unknotted my hair. "I see what you mean about the earrings, Rache."

I gave him a withering look and he burst into giggles again. A familiar voice behind me sent a chill down my spine. "Now, now, Lucy. Be nice to Miss Morgan."

"I think we're past the formal stage by now, Trent." A sound of pain escaped me as Lucy reached for her father, one hand still firmly attached to my hair. Jenks finally decided the show was over and came down to help Ceri. Soon I was free and the girl was babbling happily in Trent's arms.

Quen was standing to the side, holding Ray and watching us with interest. "So, presents, anyone? We should do this before dinnertime." As one, we all moved to the tree.

The girls ended up with a stack of board books, several stuffed animals, and a large activity center guaranteed to make more noise than necessary. Ceri got a hard-to-find spellbook, Quen a black splat gun matching my own, pre-filled with sleepy-time potions.

Trent was the hardest to shop for, but when I saw the stuffed mink in a toy store I had to get it. I hadn't entirely forgiven him for the time spent in a cage, but it was too perfect to pass up. His eyebrows rose when he opened it and I shrugged, giving him a close-lipped smile.

Jenks got a few sets of new clothing and a gallon jug of imported honey several times bigger than himself. Ceri and Quen gave me a gauzy dress similar to what she usually wore, only in colors that complemented my hair. Trent gave me the matching jewelry. My jaw dropped when I saw the intricately woven bits of silver glinting out of the velvety box. Trent returned my shrug when I looked at him.

I tucked all the presents back in the box, laughing when I saw the girls were having more fun with the wrapping paper than their new toys. Ceri was back on the floor, shredding the paper and throwing it in the air, cheering on the babies when they clumsily tried to catch it. Quen was sitting in an armchair, watching the scene with a contented smile. Jenks was fluttering over my head, making sure I took care of his precious honey.

"Careful, Rache, don't break it!"

"Calm down, geez. I don't think the cloth is going to hurt your honey. I'm more concerned about your honey squishing my jewelry."

"Yeah, but-" The pixy darted in close to me. "Heads up, rich man incoming."

I raised my head and saw that, indeed, Trent was walking towards me. I quickly finished arranging the contents of the box, satisfied both Jenks' honey and my jewelry would be safe. I stood and sighed when the pixy decided to double check my work. Whatever.

Turning to Trent, I smiled. "Thank you so much. That necklace is absolutely gorgeous." He gave a noncommittal nod and looked at the door to his private office.

"May I speak to you, Miss Mo- I mean, Rachel?" He glanced at Jenks. "Privately?"

"Um, sure. Hey Jenks, I'll be right back." The pixy gave me knowing look before flying to the excited children, dusting a happy gold.

Trent's back office had been redecorated since the last time I had seen it. It now was almost exactly like the main office, only arranged to take advantage of the spectacular view out the wall-sized window. I went immediately to stand by the glass, taking in the unbroken expanse of snow before me. "Your view is amazing."

He stood beside me, hands behind his back. "It is, isn't it." He said it without any arrogance. "Rachel, I need to ask you… what is the meaning of this?"

"The meaning of what? You asked me in here." My brow furrowed as I looked at him. "What are you talking about?"

His looked down and my gaze followed his to rest on the stuffed mink. "This. Why did you get me a child's toy, and a mink, no less?"

I raised my eyebrows at him. "It's a joke. You know, ha ha funny? I saw it and thought you'd like another one in your office."

"You gave me a gag gift?"

"Oh, come on. What else would I have gotten all-powerful, ridiculously rich, uber-influential Trent Kalamack? Would you rather I had gotten you some chalk and a cloth tape measure?" He flushed at that. "Yeah, that would be a little too personal, I'd think."

"So this isn't some sort of message?"

I laughed at his confused face. "No. No message here, except that you are a damn hard man to buy a present for."

A small smile crossed his face. He turned to set the mink on his desk and came back to the window, standing just close enough to be comfortable, but not close enough to invade my personal space. "There was no message in the jewelry, either, just so you know. No magic."

"Good to know. Thank you again, Trent. Really, those pieces are to die for. You didn't need to do that."

"No. But it was a present. And I considered it the least I could do for the woman who helped me get my daughter back."

I laughed, elbowing him lightly. "I think you saving my life and losing some fingers in the process means we're back on the me-owing-you side."

He sat in an armchair facing the window, glancing at his damaged hand in disgust. "No more pissing off demons for me. I don't see how you do it, Rachel."

I sat next to him, softly patting his hand. "Why do you think I used to always turn up battered and bruised? Al didn't want to seriously hurt me and I always had a bunch of people after me over here. But look at me now! Six months of peace and quiet will do wonders for a body." My hair was fuller than ever, which wasn't necessarily a good thing, my skin was bruise-free, and I only had one scar –the demon mark- and it was covered by the charmed silver bracelet keeping me cut off from the lines and the ever-after.

"It has been six months, hasn't it? Wow, time flies." He seemed honestly surprised by the date.

"I hear that happens when you have kids. I still can't believe you didn't tell me you had one until you walked in the courtroom with her." I kicked my socked feet up on the coffee table, glancing at Trent and daring him to say something. He gave me a real smile and put his feet next to mine, crossing his legs at the ankle.

"I didn't think you'd understand. It really didn't have anything to do with anyone except me and Lucy and her… mother." The slight emphasis on the last word let me imagine all sorts of nasty words he would rather use instead of 'mother', but was too proper to say.

"Yeah, but we would have given you less shit about the whole thing. I'm surprised you haven't figured out that I'll go along with most crazy-ass plans as long as I know what we're doing."

He chuckled. "Like popping out of nowhere, completely naked, to give me an 'elf porn' statue in front of thousands of people and hundreds of TV cameras broadcasting live?"

I blushed. "Exactly. Not one of my prouder moments, though."

"Or when you rescued the thief from an island of crazy Weres and got run over by a semi to steal a statue that drove you insane in the end?"

"Yeah, well, you hired him after that, so I don't want to hear it."

"Or how about when-"

I cut him off. "Okay, okay, I get it. Need I remind you that technically, _I_ wasn't the one that stole the statue? And that the only reason I got run over was too help a man in unimaginable pain, and even then I tried to stop it when I could. Or that the only reason the statue drove me crazy was that it was the only way to get rid of the damn thing without a freaking species war?"

He held up his hands in a peaceful gesture. "I'm just saying. It's been six months since the Inderlander World has been turned on its head by Rachel Morgan. No lawsuits for almost four months, no contracts taken out on you, no news vans waiting at your doorstep. How does it feel?"

I sighed heavily, wishing I had a drink. Almost as if he read my mind, Trent got up and went to a discreet mini-fridge beneath his desk. "Thirsty? I have water, soda, scotch?"

"Water, please. Thanks." He tossed me the bottle and I cracked it open, silently watching as he did the same. I found myself staring at the strong line of his jaw and neck moving slightly as he swallowed. Reclaiming his seat, the scent of cinnamon and wine flowed around me. I couldn't believe I didn't smell it earlier.

"Well?" The word snapped me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, um, it's been fine, I guess."

"Just fine?"

"Well, to be honest… It's boring. I enjoy not having people gunning for me, but I don't really think the charm shop life is for me." He seemed to understand the reference and nodded. "I miss the lines. Especially since Bis bonded me. I know it bothers him, too."

"You know, I still have that password if you'd like it."

"I know." I fidgeted with my water, peeling back the corners of the label. "Do you think I'd be making a mistake if I took it off? Would I be bound like the other demons? Or could I come and go as I please, like Ku'Sox did?

He considered this for a moment, his lips pursing. "I don't know. I do know that you and he had many similarities, and that you were summoned during the day while you held his curse. Therefore, it stands to reason that you would be bound by his rules, and since he could travel back and forth whenever he wanted, you can do it, as well."

Closing my eyes, I sank into the fluffy chair. "Thank you, Trent. I needed to hear that from someone who wasn't trying to convince me it would be alright no matter what." Barely cracking my eyes, I looked at him. "You know, you're actually really nice to talk to when you aren't being the aloof politician or the murdering drug lord."

He sat up straight and looked at me, not noticing my eyelids slightly open. Several expressions flitted over his face, finally settling on wary curiosity. "Really? Why do you say that?"

"Because it's true. I take it you're settling down on the drug lord side of things?"

"To some degree. I need to keep it going, for the most part. There is still much we need to do to make sure elves are safe once more, and many, many people will die without the medicines I can give them. Unfortunately, the murdering comes along with the territory."

"Hm. Gonna try for mayor again in a couple years?" Trent had lost the autumn vote to the incumbent Were, mayor of the city for nearly twenty years.

"Possibly. What about you? Are you going to stay Rachel-the-harmless-earth-witch or go Rachel-the-day-walking-demon?"

I sighed, opening my eyes. "I have no idea. I like this, the way things are right now. But I miss the lines, I miss being able to circle when I work. Hell, I even miss Al's kitchen once in a while!"

Trent's jaw dropped as he stared. "You miss your demon?"

"Well, we had reached a pretty comfortable agreement before I got summoned out and Ku'Sox beat the crap out of me." He was still staring at me. "You can close your mouth anytime now." He did, with an audible snap. "I won't say exactly what happened, but let's just say that I was forced to prove I was a demon to a horde of the big-and-bad ones, and he took care of me when I recovered. For three days I was unconscious and he didn't leave my side. When I woke up we had a very enlightening conversation… then I got summoned, and you know the rest."

"So are you and he…"

"No! God, no. It's like… Oh! Now that I think about it, it's kind of like your thing with Quen." He raised an eyebrow, waiting. "Quen helped you grow, taught you to be a man when your father wasn't around, right? And he's your bodyguard at the same time. So technically he can't tell you what to do, but he does when you aren't thinking right or need advice. And I'm sure you return the favor. Al is my teacher and bodyguard over there. Technically, because I'm female I rank much higher than him, but he still lets me know when I'm being or doing something stupid."

"Ah, I see. So he doesn't want you like that?"

I chuckled. "Oh yes, he most certainly does. But Newt, the biggest big-and-bad of them all, she likes me and says if he sleeps with me she'll kill him. It's tons of drama over there, let me tell you."

Trent's tense posture relaxed and he put his feet back up on the coffee table. "Let's get to the point. Do you want me to give you the word?"

I fingered the heavy silver bracelet, feeling the wild magic swirling through it. "Do I have to do it at a certain time?"

"No, but I would think during the day, or if that's impossible, at night and make sure everyone you care for is on holy ground and stays there. Actually, the holy ground thing should be done either way. Come to think of it, how is it you can live in your church if you're a demon?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. The only reason I can think of is because I wasn't born a demon. I was made into one by forces outside my control. And I can walk on this side in the sun. That's probably a big part of it."

"Regardless of when you do it, I would think it through carefully. Al is going to come over the moment he senses you in the system. Would it be better if it was after dark and he could come immediately, without waiting for an explanation, or would it be better during the day, when you could explain it to him through the mirror and he would stew in it until dark came?"

The way he put it made me think about the whole thing. I knew I'd need to have a plan instead of just whipping off the bracelet and saying 'Here I am, demons!' but I hadn't considered the holy ground thing or the actual timing of putting myself back on the grid. "Wow, I'm glad I talked to you about this."

"Why is that?"

"I hadn't thought of all that before." I eyed him speculatively. He had been touching his hair on and off for a while. I made him anxious. "I'm really glad we can talk to each other like people now."

"Me, too. It's a lot less stressful dealing with you when you aren't trying to break into my house or put me in jail every other day."

"Ditto with the death threats and offers of 'employment'." I did air quotes around 'employment' and he had the grace to wince slightly.

"So, since we aren't trying to kill each other and seem to be getting along for the moment, where does that leave us?"

I sat up and rested my elbows on my knees. "Considering the conversation we just had, I'd say we were friends. I still hate what you do and even more that you need to do it. But you are actually a decent person if you step out from behind the desk."

Looking at his expensive desk, Trent sighed. "Yes. When you do what I do, legally or otherwise, it becomes nearly impossible to find anyone trustworthy. It's very hard to turn off Mr. Kalamack and just be Trent. I would like to think that I can just be Trent with you. Not the politician, not the businessman, not anything except the man. Can I trust you with that?"

My heart began to bleed for him. He was so lonely, always surrounded by people but never able to touch them. _Dear God, Rachel! He's a drug runner and murderer!_ True, but his species was dying and he needed the research money. He also saves countless lives with medicine that humans shunned decades ago. And he said he was cutting back since Lucy and Ray were born.

Trent was standing in front of me, a vulnerable expression looking odd on him. He held out a hand and I took it. He pulled me up into him and I was surrounded by cinnamon and wine. "Rachel, can I be myself with you? Can I trust you to keep my secrets?" I jerked back and he cursed softly. "Not those secrets, I mean like the tailor thing. I've never told anyone that for fear of them using against me. You knew and had the opportunity to embarrass me with it, and instead chose to give me a reminder of your screw-up. When you were in that cage, I knew Jonathan would pick on you, but I had no idea that he would torture you. And even though I put you in the fights, I would never have let you be seriously injured or killed. I know you may not believe me, but I really did enjoy having some sort of company who I didn't have to play the politician with."

I closed my eyes and stepped into his chest, his strong arms wrapping around me. The man was pouring his heart out and I hadn't even said yes yet. He was so lonely.

"I thought the mink meant you were still mad at me over the whole thing. To be honest, I wouldn't blame you if you were. But I highly doubt this one will be as entertaining as you were; no thumbs up when I play Takata, no pellets thrown at my head when I'm being mean, no flipping me off when I do something you don't like. I still have the cage, actually." He chuckled a little.

"You know, if we're being honest here… being in the cage wasn't too horrible. No I.S. assassins could get me, so I could actually sleep. The company was decent when Jonathan wasn't making me miserable. The food sucked, though. If you ever get another pet, feed it real food, not that dried pellet crap."

His arms tightened around me as I snaked my hand around to his lower back. "And the answer is yes. You can trust me, Trent. Can I trust you, too?"

I looked up and our eyes met. My breathing sped up a little when I saw his eyes burning with… not anger, not passion, but what? Then it hit me. Emotion. All of it, kept locked behind his front as a politician and corporate owner.

The raw need is his face nearly had me in tears. I knew he was alone, but I had no idea it was this bad. Leaning over me, he stopped when his lips were an inch away from mine. "Yes, Rachel. I will give you the same trust you give me."

Taking the opportunity it presented, I leaned forward that inch and touched our lips together. A soft sound of satisfaction came from him as he worked his lips on mine, his hand sliding down my back to rest on my hips. I traced the outline of his stubbly jaw with my fingertips before plunging my hands into his oh-so-soft silken hair.

His tongue swept across the seam of my lips and I opened in response, meeting his tongue with my own. Trent backed me against the desk, lifting me up to sit on it. His hands explored my body, carefully avoiding my breasts and between my legs, even though they were spread and wrapped around his hips. Leaving one hand in his hair, I ran my fingers along the muscles in his chest and stomach, shivers of heat spearing through me as they quivered in response to my light caress.

I tweaked a nipple lightly and he groaned. "God, Rachel…" He travelled down my neck, sucking and kissing gently. He reached my invisible vamp scar and gave it a quick kiss, otherwise ignoring it. On the other side of my neck, however, he made himself at home. Nibbling, sucking, kissing, licking up to my ear and back down… I was lost in sensation.

Twining my fingers back through his hair, I pulled gently, guiding his mouth back to mine. He attacked me with renewed passion, his lips demanding, his tongue exploring, his hands kneading. I pulled my hand out of his hair and they immediately started on his button-up shirt. Reclaiming my mouth, I followed the same path he had travelled, down the neck, across, up to the ear, back down… but I kept going down.

Every button released showed inches of perfectly sculpted tan skin that begged for attention. Who was I to deny its pleas? I nipped and licked every bit of skin I could reach, stopping the downward movement when his nipples popped out. A darker brown than his tan, they were stiff, and I bet it wasn't from the temperature outside. Leaning further, I flicked the right with my tongue, his body stiffening as I did. Slowly, I licked my way around it, spiraling inwards. When I centered in, I sucked it in and flicked it again. This time his hands found my hair and he moaned in ecstasy. He moved my head to the left side, my tongue dragging along his pecs. Meanwhile, my hands had finished with the shirt, one disappearing to the small of his back and playing with the little dimples, the other tracing his six-pack up to the right nipple, tweaking it lightly.

"Dear God, Rachel… oh…" I smiled at the reaction I was pulling out of him, this stoic man who never let anything show. "Rachel, wait… stop a minute… Damn."

I looked up at him. His lips were swollen from kissing, soft red marks ran up and down his neck, not to mention his chest. He was flushed, breathing heavily, the tremendous bulge in his pants proving his excitement. I'm sure I looked a mess, too.

"What?"

"Do you really want to do this right now? With them all in the next room?"

His words brought me back down. "I completely forgot."

"Yeah. Me too." He backed away buttoning his shirt, then smoothing his hair. I hopped off the desk and tried to do something with my hair, but it probably looked just like it always did.

I took a long drink of water, trying to look, yet not look at Trent. Our eyes met and I realized he was doing the same thing. We both laughed at the absurdity of it.

"You ready to go back out to see the kiddies, Trent?"

"Yes. I suppose godmother Rachel should spend some time with them. Oh, and so you don't leave without it, here." He reached into the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a folded piece of thick parchment paper. "These are the words to break the charm. Don't say them, don't think them, don't even read them before you're ready. The charm is very sensitive and will come off very easily with that. Be careful, Rachel. Please."

I took the paper and stuck it in my back pocket. "Thank you. I'll be careful. Do you have holy ground here?"

"Yes, I had a small section built and blessed after that last incident."

"Good. I'll call you before I do it to make sure you guys are all safe inside. It'll be sometime in the next few days, so answer when I call, okay?"

He nodded solemnly. "Of course. Um, can I tell you one last thing before we go out there? In trust?"

"Trent, when we're alone, you can tell me anything you want and know it won't leave the two of us. What's done in the office, stays in the office, right?"

He nodded, a real smile making his face light up. Walking beside me, he put a hand on my lower back and guided me to the door. "When we were at camp, it was never Jasmin I liked; It was you."

My reaction was swallowed by the sounds of two babies screaming in laughter, Ceri dancing in the middle of a shredded wrapping paper hurricane, and Jenks flying lopsided, having found some way to get into the honey. The pixy was dusting a rainbow of sparkles over the hurricane, singing the lewd '12 days of Christmas' at the top of his lungs. Quen was sitting in the same chair as before, this time with the look of a man who tried to stop what was happening but was completely run over in the process.

"This is some Christmas party you got here, Trent." Jenks had zig-zagged his way over to us, and I could smell honey all over him. "Much better than those stuffy suit ones, blah! No honey, no paper hurricanes, no fun!"

Trent smiled indulgently. "Of course, Jenks. I shall take that under advisement."

The pixy landed on top of my head, grabbing random chunks of hair to stay still. "Let's go home, Rache. I gotta show Belle who the man of the house is, stupid pretty fairy."

Shaking my head, to Jenks' protests, I turned to Trent. "Should be a fun drive, eh?"

"You could say that." I bent to pick up the box, surprised when Trent beat me to it. "I've got it. Let's go."

"Jenks! In the bag now, the warmer's heated." He dove in and I zipped it up to keep in the heat. I gave a friendly wave to Quen and Ceri, who were still entertaining the babies. "Have fun, guys! I'll see you soon!"

Trent and I walked back out to the parking lot, the offices now deserted for the evening. He even came outside and put the box in the backseat for me. I turned on the heater and shut the door for Jenks, knowing there was just a little more to say to Trent.

"You liked me?"

He flushed. "Do you think many people get to ride Tulpa? Or even get to touch him? Me, my father, …and you."

"We aren't in the office." I grinned wickedly.

He braced his arms on the car, one on either side of me. "No, but we are alone. About that kiss…"

"I'm not going to forget that one."

"Good." He grinned, eyed flashing with emotion. "Neither will I." He leaned in and softly brushed his lips over mine once, twice, three times. "Goodnight, Rachel."

I stood there, frozen in place as I watched him go back inside and disappear into his house. A small knock on the window woke me up.

"Hey, Rache, get your booty in here before you freeze!"

I opened the door, shutting it an instant after I was inside. I tuned out Jenks' grumbling about a honey drunk only lasting five minutes and how he should have been in on me and Trent's talk as I drove down the winding path. The gate was standing open when I neared it and I gave the guard a friendly wave as I passed.

Ivy was home when we arrived, and she had ordered pizza. We came in carrying the box and I was swarmed by pixies. "Jenks!" He chirped loudly and 50-some pixies flew into the desk. Belle was calmly walking across the floor with her sword out, always on watch for Rex, Jenks' cat.

I set the box on a free spot on Ivy's table. I divvied out the goods, giving Ivy her still wrapped gifts, Jenks his clothes, and I took my dress and jewelry to my room. As I passed Bis, who was sitting on the fridge, I got his attention. "I need to talk to you." He said nothing in response, merely crawling on the ceiling to my room and landing on the bed. He was quiet as I hung the dress and arranged the jewelry.

When I turned back to him, I had to smile. He was wearing his red Disney shirt with gargoyles on it and had somehow found a Santa hat to wear, too. "You wanted to talk to me, Miss Rachel?"

"Yes, Bis. I need your opinion on something. About me getting back in touch with the lines."

His eyes widened in fear. "Are you sure you want to do that? I mean, last time…" He shuddered, and I did, too.

"Yes, last time was bad, but he's put away now, and he can't touch me. Al should be pleased to see me, after he gets over the fact that I've been hiding for months. And I think Newt will have forgotten the whole thing, and hopefully she won't remember. If she does, maybe she'll just be happy I'm back."

"I don't know, Miss Rachel. I mean, I miss sharing the lines with you, but I'd rather you be alive than that."

"I really doubt they would kill me. Well, I think I'll probably take it off in the next few days. Will you be around? Or are you going visiting?"

Taking in a deep breath, he grew a couple inches as he turned a dark grey. "You are my bonded. I will be with you when this is done, and will never be far when you are in need of me."

"Thank you, Bis. You are amazing." He shrunk back to his regular size and turned almost black in embarrassment.

"Thank you, Miss Morgan. Will it be tonight?"

"No. The day after tomorrow, before dark." He nodded and jumped back to the ceiling, Santa hat firmly grasped in his teeth. We went back to the kitchen where Ivy was plating slices of pizza much more roughly than needed. "So, Ivy. You heard that, I guess." She nodded tersely and took her seat in front of the computer, typing furiously with one hand and eating with the other.

"I don't think you should do it. But at the same time, it needs to be done. You aren't whole right now, Rachel, and that's unhealthy for you and for everyone you know. We love you and don't want you to be hurt, but you have to do what you have to do."

Jenks flitted in, hovering a few feet in front of me. "Agreed with Ivy. Do it and don't get killed, because if you do, I'll find someone to resurrect you so I can kill you again."

I looked around at the festive gargoyle on the refrigerator, at the cranky vampire surfing the internet, at the pixy who considered himself my surrogate father… "I love you guys. Really. I'll do everything in my power to make sure nothing happens to you or anyone else I care for. Anything to keep you all safe, I swear."

I smiled at the groans my melodramatic speech had brought on. I don't care if it sounded stupid, it was the truth.

Deciding to ignore it for now, we all dug into the pizza and played stupid games until bedtime. Tomorrow I'd start preparing to be a demon again; tonight I was just Rachel, and it was fantastic. I'd treasure this day forever.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** I got a lot of comments about the first chapter and I want to thank everyone who reviewed. You rock and give me motivation to keep writing!

A lot of people commented on the Trench aspect of the story. I am a _huge_ Rach/Al shipper and to be honest, Trent completely surprised me in his office. I don't want anyone to get their hopes up because I can't guarantee what pairing will happen here. I'm totally rooting for Al, but Trent can be pretty persuasive when he puts his mind to it. I started writing this with only a general idea of where I wanted it to go and the characters took the idea and ran away with it. This took a different direction than I thought it would pretty quickly, so I'm just going with the flow for now. :)

Since I didn't say it before, all these characters belong to the fantastic Kim Harrison. I'm only playing with them for a bit. Please don't sue me, I'm broke.

As always, reviews are love. Constructive criticism is always appreciated, and if you have any suggestions for anything you'd like to see happen, just let me know. Enjoy!

* * *

I took a deep breath. _I can do this, I can do this._ It was going to be dark in about ten minutes. I sat cross-legged on my kitchen floor, wearing a backpack stuffed with essentials, a calling mirror sitting on my lap, and a nervous gargoyle next to me, his tail wrapped around my wrist. Ivy, Jenks, Belle, and the rest of the brood were safely in the sanctuary. My mom and Takata said they were attending evening mass. Trent, Quen, Ceri, and the babies were on his holy ground. I hadn't spoken to Robbie and his wife, but my mom said they were warned and should be safe. David and the female pack members were safe, too.

Everyone I cared about should be okay when I take off this bracelet. _This should be fun._ Bis looked up at me, worry looking wrong on his face.

"Don't let me go, Bis. Keep contact with me at all times. He's going to pull me across and I want you with me."

"Of course, Miss Rachel."

I unfolded the piece of paper and stared down at the password phrase. Stupid elf. "I, Rachel Mariana Morgan, embrace my demonic heritage and demand access to the Ever-After." Something snapped inside me and energy poured in as the bracelet fell off, the ley line map exploding in my mind. I spindled as much as I could, knowing I would only have seconds before Al called.

On cue, I sneezed. I pressed my hand to the wine-colored glass, answering. _Hello, Al._

_Itchy-witch? But you're dead! What the… You can't… Where have you been!_

_I've been here. Ku'Sox nearly killed me and they cut me off so I could heal. _

He swore, and could sense him throwing things. _Damnit all to Hell, Rachel Mariana Morgan! Get your scrawny red-headed ass over here right now!_

_I can't. I still don't know how to travel the lines._

_Why did you call me during the day, then? Of all the stupid, boneheaded, lame-brained…_

I cut him off mid-rant. _I wanted a chance to talk to you before you popped over here and took me away. I wanted to make sure you weren't going to hurt anyone before I could explain what happened._

_Fine._ He was still seething, but I was sure it was directed at me, and not anyone else. _I won't even look at anyone else when I come get you, let alone hurt them. Be ready in exactly two minutes. And bring your mirror._ He broke the connection and I took my hand off the cold glass, shaking it to get rid of the pins-and-needles sensation.

"Ivy?"

She poked her head in from the sanctuary. "Everything okay?"

"Yeah. He's coming in a minute. After I'm gone you can call everyone and tell them it's fine to leave holy ground."

She nodded, her short black hair swinging. "How long until we summon you back?"

I thought for a moment. "Give me… three days." A tugging on the line in the graveyard was my only warning. "Here he comes! See you in a few days."

Bis jumped in my lap, on top of the calling glyph, and I wrapped my arms around him. The scent of burnt amber surrounded us as the kitchen faded away.

We materialized in Al's library. He stood facing the fireplace as I carefully set my mirror and bags down. When Bis sat next to my feet, Al bellowed. "Treble! Get down here!"

The old gargoyle slithered out of the flue, muttering obscenities when she saw me. Without looking at Bis, she made her way down the rows of books. "Come, whelp." After I gave him a reassuring smile, he followed her.

An uncomfortable silence filled the space between us. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore. "Al, I-"

"How could you do that to me?" His scream echoed through the room. "Do you have any idea what I went through after you left? What Newt did to me? Why the hell did it take you six months to reappear? Where were you?"

His eyes blazed, glowing a furious red behind his smoked glasses. "He ate my soul, Al. Trent and Bis saved my life. I had no aura at all. I've been recovering."

"Oh, yes. Thank you for warning me that you bonded the child, by the way."

I glared at him. "What does it matter? It was his decision to make, and he did it to save my life."

Al threw himself down into one of the wingback chairs, motioning for me to take the one opposite him. "Start from the beginning. What happened with the genetic failure?"

"Well, I called him out. Pierce and I fought him, he nearly killed Pierce. I finally got my hands on him and transferred that curse. He drug me into a line and tried to eat my soul. He got sucked into the ever-after, Bis found me stuck in the line and took me to Trent. He put me my soul in a bottle to heal and put me back in a few days later."

"The elf really did have a plan?"

"Apparently. Anyway, I voluntarily cut myself off from the lines to heal." His glasses disappeared and he glared at me. "Can you blame me? I almost get decimated by a crazy freaking demon and wake up to Vivian in the ICU, Trent missing half his hand, and Pierce gone. What did you do to Pierce?"

"I gave him to Newt for a few hundred years. She'll teach him a few things, and he might come back alive."

I jumped up and pointed at him. "You… you jerk! How could you do that?"

He stood, too, stepping into my personal space. "She was furious. It was either give her the one who tried to murder me or give myself to her."

"And you had no right to disfigure Trent like that!"

"The elf was covered in your blood, you were braindead, and he was the one who released that genetic freak. I had every right!"

"Fuck you, Al. I am not your property that you can do what you want with the people I care for. I'm a demon, too! Or did you forget that?"

He backed me against the wall slowly, as if enjoying overpowering me. "Fuck me? You can if you want, itchy-witch. I'd gladly fuck you. And I am well aware you're a demon. I've been telling you that for ages. You may be a demon, but you are under my protection, therefore I have every right to do what I deem necessary on your behalf."

I pushed against his chest, wanting, needing him to step back. "Move, Al."

"No."

I felt the tingling of a line drawn through me where he was touching me. "Seriously, don't do it, Al."

He pressed himself fully against me and I could feel lean muscle through his green frock coat. "Let me do this, itchy-witch." Hot breath flowed along my neck.

"Back up. Don't forget what I did last time."

He backed up a step, not enough for me to get by him. His eyes closed and he started trembling. A loud growl built in his chest and a fist flew into the wall next to my head. I couldn't tell if the loud crunch was from the rock breaking or his knuckles. Black blood dripped on the floor from his injured hand.

"Damn it all, Rachel! You were fucking dead! We were doing good until you got summoned out and fucking disappeared!"A wash of ever-after coated him, fixing his hand and visibly calming him. "Fine. You're a demon. Get your gargoyle and go. Have fun surviving."

Great, I pissed him off. Al stomped over to his chair, throwing himself down and staring into the fire. I looked askance at the fist-sized hole inches from my skull. He really had been worried about me, in his own way.

I went to my backpack, feeling his eyes on me as I dug through it. Putting my hands behind my back, I turned to him. "Al, I'm sorry. I should have let you know I was alive, and I didn't. I made the best decision with the information I had at the time. Here."

He took the clear bag I held out, giving me an odd look. "Marshmallows?"

I shrugged. "You said real ones were too expensive over here. So I brought you some so you wouldn't have to char them so they're edible."

He opened the package and impaled one on a toasting fork. "Want one?"

"Sure." I smiled as he put another on the fork and shut the bag tightly. He toasted them to a perfect light brown and held the steaming puffs toward me. I carefully eased one off and popped it in my mouth, savoring the crispy shell and melty insides.

Al ate his slowly, his enjoyment plain. He looked everywhere except at me when he was done. "I'm glad you aren't dead."

"Aw, Al. If you keep saying sweet stuff like that, I'll think you only love me for my marshmallows." His eyes met mine and I froze. The heat in them wasn't from anger, like earlier. This was something else entirely, something even more dangerous.

Clearing my throat, I stood, intending on digging through my bag for any excuse to look away from him. Al stood, as well, the toasting fork clattering to the hearth. He stepped close enough that I could feel the heat radiating off him, but he didn't touch me. "Let me do this, Rachel. I thought you were gone."

My breath caught as I looked at him, unable to answer. He took my silence as assent and leaned down, pressing his lips to mine. I squeaked when he lifted me up, his hands securely on my hips. A small tingle of line energy ricocheted through my body and I closed my eyes in pleasure. He made a small noise of satisfaction as he sat on the couch, positioning me over him with one knee on either side.

I pulled back a bit, gasping when he sent a stronger pulse through me. "I'm not having sex with you." His eyes focused on my lips, his hands kneading my hips and thighs.

"Mmm. Of course not."

The sane part of me was screaming as I bent back to his mouth. His lips were sweet, tasting of toasted sugar from the marshmallow. A jolt jerked us both when our tongues touched, the line energy swimming freely between us. Goosebumps trailed across my skin when he pushed my shirt up with one hand, his fingers tracing patterns at my waist.

Adjusting my hips elicited a low groan from him. "My God, Rachel…"

"Do I need to break you two up again?" An amused voice startled me and I scrambled off of Al.

Unrepentant, Al adjusted himself through his pants. "Newt, love, I didn't hear you knock."

"That's because I didn't." She smiled wickedly and turned to me. "I'm glad you aren't dead. It was so lonely being the only demoness." Making herself comfortable in one of the chairs, she smoothed her purple robe unnecessarily.

"How are you today, Newt?" I bent to my bag and felt around inside, never taking my eyes from the insane demon.

"Semi-lucid. Which, coincidentally, is why I'm here. I have something for you."

I froze and Al's eyes widened. "Oh, really? She just got here, can't it wait until she's settled?"

Her unsettling gaze left me and landed on Al. "Perhaps, but I would probably forget by then. It's a financial matter."

"Financial?" I sat next on the couch, the object in my hands temporarily forgotten. "This isn't about Tron's car is it? I have every intention of making that for him if the deal is still on."

"No, although I'm sure he will be pleased. This is about Dalliance. Your memory has been played nearly nonstop since you left it. I just finished going over Dali's books. You are a wealthy demoness. Now you can move out of this hovel and into a home worthy of your rank." Al's eyes narrowed and my jaw dropped.

"Um, wow. Thank you. I think I'll stay here for now, though."

She sighed heavily. "Very well. I'll deposit your take into Al's account and give you the proof. He can help you do something with it." I nodded and she made a few small gestures. A piece of paper materialized above her and she handed it to Al. He gaped at her when he saw the printed numbers. She smiled. "Exactly. I trust you will care for her fortune properly. We demonesses must stick together, after all."

Newt turned her black eyes to me. "And you have something for me, as well?" I stared at her for a moment, confused. Her eyes slid to my hands and I remembered.

"Oh, yes. I forgot it last time I was here." I held out the fifty foot tape measure as she clapped like a little girl.

"Wonderful. Now I can prove I'm not crazy. Well, not about this anyway." Standing, she regarded Al and me. "Next time you go to Dalliance, let me know. It was a pleasure last time. I shall see you soon, demoness." She disappeared, the only sound a whoosh of air filling the spot she vacated.

Al looked at me like he was seeing me for the first time.

"What? She asked me to bring it and I didn't want to forget a second time." He handed me the piece of paper and I looked at it, trying to make sense of the odd figures. "I can't read this. What is it?"

"It's an account statement." He pointed at one line of the squiggly writing. "This is how much I had in there." He pointed to another line. "This is how much you have."

"Okay."He gave me a blank look. "Don't expect me to be too excited about this. I still can't read it."

He gave a long-suffering sigh and snapped his fingers. A second sheet of paper appeared in front of me and I grabbed it, the paper warm beneath my fingers. This version was in English and I skimmed the numbers, sitting down when it hit me. I was a friggin' millionaire in the ever-after.

"Holy crap."

"My thoughts exactly, itchy-witch. Newt took a cut for checking Dali's books, but that didn't put a dent in it."

"Is there any way to transfer some of this into money I can use on the other side?" If there was, I'd never have to worry about being broke ever again.

"Nope. But look on the bright side, you're big moneybags here!" I glared at him and he laughed. "Shall we celebrate by spending some of it? You could get a very nice room of your own. Or a conservatory. That would be good. Or we could start small and go eat at Dalliance. I'm sure you'd like the picnic food."

"Food would be good. I need to bring some back for Bis, too."

Al gave me a stunned look. "You feed your gargoyle? He doesn't feed himself?"

"Well, most of the time he does. But we save him pizza when we get it, and he likes cookies. Why?"

He shook his head. "He's your gargoyle, not your ward."

I bristled in anger. "Hey, he's a good kid. I'll give him pizza and chocolate milk and take him to Disneyworld if I want. I don't tell you how to deal with your gargoyle, don't tell me how to deal with mine."

"We'll talk more about it tomorrow. Until then, let us go eat." He held out a hand and I took it, willing to shelve the conversation for now. I didn't eat much before I took off the bracelet, my stomach too nervous to agree with food.

We appeared at the thick door I remembered from last time. Al opened it and waved me in, the heat of the desert hitting me. Al ran the brush and wash curse over me, leaving me in shorts, a dark green tank top and sneakers. He put on a pair of khaki cargo shorts and a black sleeveless shirt that showed off muscular, toned arms. He handed me a pair of dark sunglasses that matched his own pair and we turned to the waiting host.

This was a different demon than I saw last time, but he seemed no friendlier. "I'm sorry. We're filled. I can make you a reservation for tomorrow, perhaps." Al stepped behind me, a silent show of support I appreciated.

"This is a desert. I'm sure you can find room."

"No. We're filled. I can save you a spot for tomorrow-"

"Do you know who I am?" He gave me a disinterested look. "I _made_ this desert. I'm sure you can find room."

His reply was cut off by a deep voice. "Rachel, you're back!" Dali walked over from behind the car a small distance away. "When did you get here? I heard you were dead!"

"I was. Now I'm not and I'm hungry. This troglodyte won't let me in to eat, even though I made this friggin' construct." The large demon's eyebrows rose and I was glad Al was behind me.

"Al, why are you two here?"

I answered him. "He's with me. I was hungry, so we decided to come here. You know I'm good for it." Dali glanced at the reservation book and frowned. I sighed and turned around. "Come on, Al. Let's go. It's not like I didn't bring him tons of business or anything. That's the last memory I ever give this place."

That got his attention. "Rachel, wait-"

I gave him a cold stare. "That's Miss Morgan, Dali. I won't be dismissed offhand like some surface rat and then referred to with familiarity." Al sucked in a breath, but I ignored him.

"Very well then, _Miss Morgan_. I'm sure we can fit you in." The subtle sarcasm he put on my name didn't go unnoticed.

"I'm sure you can." We followed him through the crowd. "A nice table, too. Not one by the kitchen." He changed direction slightly and I saw Al smile out of the corner of my eye. We were seated at a small picnic table with a red and white checkered cloth over it.

"The waiter will be with you shortly. Have a good evening Miss Morgan, Al." Dali hustled away, disappearing behind my mom's car. I looked at Al, meeting his grin with one of my own.

"Who needs reservations, huh?"

He shook his head, silently laughing. "That was either incredibly brave or incredibly stupid, and I'm not sure which."

"It was neither. I knew he'd give me a table, especially knowing that what I made was only a percentage of his take. He'd be a bad businessman to turn me down when I'm the only one who can make more of these besides Newt. All I had to do was turn on the charm."

"Is that what being a bitch is called nowadays?"

"In my vocabulary, yeah. Respect is earned, not given, and I have a feeling dealing with demons takes that saying to a whole new level."

Most of the demons in the restaurant were looking at us, so I gave them a bunny-ear kiss-kiss wave. Several turned away at that. Resting my elbows on the table, I closed my eyes and soaked in the heat. It was mid-December in Cincy and I was about ready for winter to be over.

I looked up when someone cleared their throat politely. A skinny male stood in front of us, waiting to be acknowledged. "Welcome to Dalliance. Can I start you off with something to drink?"

"Two Brimstone Bombers. What's on the menu?" Al looked over his glasses at the familiar.

"Fried chicken, cheeseburger, or the special Brimstone Bar-B-Que."

I raised my eyebrows. "I thought you got whatever they made."

The waiter nodded. "You still do, in the other shifts. This one has been so popular that everyone got sick of only having chicken, so Dali expanded the menu a bit."

Al gave me a pointed look and I smiled. "See, I told you he wouldn't want me mad at him." I turned my attention back to the waiting man. "I'll try the barbeque. Al?"

"Barbeque, also." Al didn't take his eyes off me as the waiter left. He tapped his fingers on the table, clearly deep in thought.

After a few minutes of his unnerving gaze I got tired of it. "What, Al? Do I have something on my face?"

"No."

The silence extended into being uncomfortable as he looked at me. "Seriously, Al. Quit staring. You're freaking me out."

Seeming to shake himself out of a trance, he looked around the restaurant at the other demons. Eyes not meeting mine, he apologized, "I'm sorry," but the tone was more sullen than genuine.

Ignoring that, I took my drink when the waiter rushed over with them, saying the food would be done shortly. I sipped the cool liquid, surprised at the citrusy bite. With a name like 'Brimstone Bomber' I thought it would have been more… well, brimstone-y.

Another demon came to stand before our table, and I had the oddest flashback to one of those mafia movies, the head honcho sitting in his booth in a restaurant, people begging favors standing in front… it was weird to be the big guy.

This demon was obviously angry, so we both looked at him, waiting. When he didn't say anything, I gestured towards him. "Yes?"

That seemed to open the floodgates. "I don't know if you remember me, but my name is Tron. You owe me a fucking car. It's been six months, and you better have a fucking great excuse as to why you broke the contract or you're mine."He smiled nastily.

"Oh, yes. Tron. I was going to get a hold of you tomorrow about that, but since you're here, have a seat." He sat next to Al, who gave him a withering glare. "Now I know it's been six months, but if I remember correctly, there was no explicit time frame stated in the original agreement. Secondly, I didn't see an extra room hooked onto Al's house, and that was to be done before the car is given to you. And thirdly, I have no desire to explain myself to you. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know exactly why I haven't been around. You get me my room in the agreed fashion and I will get you your car."

"Six months! The deal has changed. Now you get the original closet and I get the exclusive or I call breach of contract."

I smiled, making Tron shrink with its ferocity. "You will give me what was agreed upon in the end, and you will get the exclusive red version of that car right there that you desire. I will have the room first, attached to Al's quarters, and it will be inspected to make sure there are no hidden surprises. Then, and only then, will I make you that car."

His jaw dropped. "But that's not-"

"It most certainly is." I turned to Al, who had been watching the argument with great interest. "Al, did I not just lay out the terms of our original verbal contract exactly as we agreed upon them that day?"

"Yes." Tron opened his mouth to interrupt, but Al cut him off. "There was no stipulation as to time frame. The only mention was that you should call in about two hours from the original request to set up a time later in the week. You never called back. I know, I was waiting by her mirror."

Tron looked distinctly uncomfortable. "So, Tron," I said in a falsely sweet voice, "I was summoned out, which I'm sure you know is a completely unforeseeable circumstance, and I was forced to fight Ku'Sox, the demon who _you_ were too cowardly to attempt. _I_ was the one who put him back in his jail cell. _I_ was the one who almost died, doing what the rest of the demons were too spineless to even attempt. And you think to try me for breach of contract? You are the one trying to change the original deal. You never called, you never said it had to be done within a specific time frame and now you want to bring me up on charges? I think not."I sighed and looked at Al. "Am I going to have to go through this every time I make a contract or save both the world and the ever-after from total destruction?"

Al smiled ruefully. "To some degree, yes, I'm afraid. Not all demons are intelligent enough to realize what they are getting into when dealing with you, my itchy-witch." Tron's eyes widened at my nickname and I smiled.

"Listen, Tron. I'm willing to forget your stupidity in trying to force me. I will make you your car, if you get me the room you promised. Only then will Al and I come put the car where you want it. I am holding us both to the original agreement." He opened his mouth to refute that, but I didn't let him speak. "Unless of course, the contract means nothing to you and you have no intention of holding up your end of the deal. I'm sure Newt would be glad to hear your complaints before disemboweling you."

Al sucked in a breath when I said Newt's name, but his eyes sparkled with pride. I guess I was doing well. Tron blanched, his face ashen under the tan from the desert. "So, are we good on the room/car agreement? Or do you not want it anymore? You know, I'm feeling generous at the moment. If you don't want the car, just say so right now and I'll nullify the contract. No room for me, no car for you, we both go on our merry demon ways. But if you decide that, just know that I'll never enter into another contract with you again. I refuse to work with someone who won't keep to their word."

Tron's voice was quiet. "I'll have the room deeded over tonight. I'll call in the afternoon to set up a time."

I grinned at him. "I knew you'd be smart about it. Talk to you tomorrow." Taking that for the dismissal it was, Tron got up and shuffled away. I watched him go, noticing the new looks of respect I got from several demons at the nearest tables. I turned to Al, who was grinning as widely as me.

"Well done, itchy-witch. Perfectly executed. I would have done without mentioning Newt, but otherwise, I would have done the same." Our waiter appeared with two large plates of steaming ribs and Al rubbed his hands together in anticipation. "I haven't had good meat in so long."

The heaping stacks were set in front of us, along with a large chunk of napkins. The waiter rushed off before I could say thank you. The red coating glistened in the sun and the smell was divine.

We both dug in with gusto, making small noises of pleasure. They were perfect, the meat so tender it fell off the bone, the sauce tangy and sweet at the same time, the bits of fat still on it crisp. I'd had good barbeque before, but this was to die for.

Oddly enough, I didn't really taste the brimstone on the ribs either. "Al?" He looked up at me and I smiled. He had a large ring of sauce around his mouth. "Is it weird I can't really taste the brimstone?"

He sucked the sauce off his fingers and wiped his mouth before answering. "No. It's fairly prevalent here so you'll get used to it quickly, but you will feel some of the effects. Nothing bad, more like… a very, very strong cup of coffee."

"Oh, okay." Coffee I could handle. It was the unending hunger and the jitters I was worried about. We finished our meal in comfortable silence. The only thing irritating me was the not-so-discreet looks at us by the other demons. Some openly stared as we ate. Finally, I got sick of it.

I stood up and put on my best Jenks pose; feet spread, fists on hips, back straight, imperial gaze. I looked around the eating area, noting that many of the demons averted their eyes and whispered to their companions while a few still stared openly. Al raised an eyebrow at me in curiosity as he cleaned his teeth with a shard of bone, but didn't seem like he was concerned.

Clearing my throat loudly, I got the attention of most of the diners. "Excuse me, but is there some reason that my companion and I are being stared at? I find it incredibly rude and nearly impossible that demons who can eat at Dalliance lack even the most basic of manners. If you feel there is something that is so urgent that you need to stare to get my attention, let me assure you, it isn't. I have a glyph for a reason. Use it, leave me a message. Thank you. Al, shall we?"

He nodded regally and stood, offering me his hand. I took it and we walked out, passing Newt –who I hadn't noticed- who smiled and nodded at me.

We ported to the library as soon as we left. I flopped down on the couch, rubbing my eyes. Al sat on the far end, watching me curiously. "You know how to take care of the bill, right?"

"Already done. Would you care for a marshmallow?"

"Of course. Make it two. I'll bring more next time." He smiled widely and moved to set it up. I went to a chair, since it was closer to the fireplace, and Al took the other.

His attention never leaving the slowly browning marshmallows, he looked at me for a moment, that odd look on his face. "You've changed."

"People do."

"Yes, but demons rarely do."

"And your point is… what? I know I'm a demon."

Silent, he took the tan puffs out of the fire and held the fork out to me. I pulled two off, mindful of their heat. Al took the other two and hung the fork back by the fireplace.

I ate one and let out a soft sound. They were perfection; crispy, melty and hot. "You make a damn good marshmallow, Al."

"Yes, I do." He smiled and popped one in his mouth, obviously enjoying a real marshmallow more than whatever passes for one over here.

"So, what's wrong with me changing?" Al just looked at me again, opening his mouth for the second fluffy treat. His tongue snaked out and around it, moving in ways tongues shouldn't. A shiver ran down my spine and I had a feeling he knew it.

Leaning forward, he took my last marshmallow and held it up. "Open up, itchy-witch. Don't want to let dessert get cold, do we?" I reached for it and he moved back, clucking his tongue at me. "Nope. Open."

Rolling my eyes, I opened my mouth. He gently placed it on my tongue, his finger lingering for a moment before I closed my mouth, tasting toasted sugar and a slight hint of… Al? _Well, he did just have his finger in my mouth._

"Now that dessert is gone, we can discuss other matters, if you wish." He sat back in the chair, steepling his fingers and crossing his legs.

_Finally._ "What's this about me changing?"

"You've embraced your heritage and aren't afraid to act like a demon when it suits you. It's… refreshing."

"It's necessary. I'm not going to be treated like a doormat just because I'm new here. Which reminds me, when are you going to teach me to jump the lines?"

Al pinched the bridge of his nose in mock frustration. "I told you before, _I_ don't teach you. Your gargoyle does. Now that you've bonded it will be easier, but he's still very young. It'll be a while." He flinched and looked confused for a moment, then smiled at me. "Your room just joined us. Shall we?" He stood and held out his arm. I took it and we popped off to my glorified closet.

When we misted back into existence Al swore and I stared in awe. We stood in the center of a room nearly the size of the sanctuary at my church. The ceiling soared above us, decorative arches spanning the width of it. Random graffiti and esoteric arcane markings were scrawled on the walls in various colors, looking like some avant-garde abstract painting. "Oh, wow…" I breathed.

"My thoughts exactly, itchy-witch. Your new friend must want his car very badly."

I pulled my arm out of Al's and glared at him. "He isn't my friend, and this is just about the size we agreed on. He wasn't kidding about needing to clean up the walls, though. Eesh."

He made a small sound of satisfaction. "Good. You've learned something." I waited for him to continue, but he merely walked away and began examining the markings on one wall.

"And what might that be?"

"That a working relationship doesn't indicate a friendship, especially with demons."

"So you teaching me about being a demon is just a work thing, huh?"

He got in my face quicker than I thought possible and shook me by the shoulders. "No!" Seeming to realize his hands were on me, he let go and stepped back a pace. "Just… no." He turned back to the wall, arms crossed, tension clear in his posture.

"Al?" I took a hesitant step towards him and he raised his hand, telling me to stop. A moment later he turned to me, his typical demonic nonchalance firmly in place.

"Not just a work thing, Rachel. I want to fuck you, too. Now come, I'll show you to my room so you can rest."

We misted out and reformed in a large room dominated by a four-poster bed. My bag and mirror were sitting on the dark green blankets, looking shabby next to the casual finery of the carved bed. The stone floor was covered in rugs thick and soft enough that I sank an inch into them. The walls were filled with bookcases of varying sizes, thick tomes overflowing them. A single door stood opposite the bed.

"Wow. Nice room."

"I'm glad you approve." The sarcasm was thick in his voice, but there was an odd undertone to it. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be in your room." He disappeared with a small puff of air.

I sat on the edge of the bed and toyed with the blanket, concerned with what Al was saying with his actions and body language. Not being naïve to what I thought it was, I laid back on the impossibly soft pillows, trying to convince myself that he didn't really like me _like that_ and failing miserably.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Whee! I love everyone who read and reviewed! You totally give me inspiration to keep working on this fic (instead of all the other stories I need to work on, hehe).

I have a pretty good idea of where this is going, and there are quite a few twists and turns along the way. Again, these characters belong to the lovely Kim Harrison. I'm just taking them out for a test drive. And, as always, reviews are appreciated.

* * *

"No, no, no, NO, NO! Did you forget everything on your little vacation?" Al's voice echoed off the walls of his kitchen.

I sighed and rolled my shoulders, stiff joints popping. "No, but I am out of practice. Can we take a break for a few? My hand is killing me."

"No. Start over." I crossed out the imperfect lines of text and started rewriting them below. "Copy it exactly. No more mistakes."

Halfway through, I stopped for a moment to rub my cramping hand. I could feel Al's eyes on me and I picked the quill back up, carefully dipping it in the inkwell. The soft scratching of the tip on parchment was relaxing, the demon looking over my shoulder not so much.

A tickle started in the back of my nose. Knowing what it meant, I turned away from the carefully inscribed paper a split second before a powerful sneeze rattled my brain. Al swore and popped out, coming back with my mirror in record time. I sneezed twice more before I was able to connect my hand properly with the points of the glyph and answer. "Hello?"

_Rachel, it's Tron._

"This isn't a good time, Tron," I said, speaking out loud so Al would know who I was talking to. "Can I call you back later?"

_This won't take long. I just want to set up a time, then you can get back to whatever it is you're doing._

I looked up at Al and mouthed 'when?' He shrugged. "This evening's as good a time as any, I suppose. But it depends on if you can get this spell right in the next week or not."

I narrowed my eyes at him as I spoke into the mirror. "This evening is good for us, how about you?"

_Fine. What time?_

"I'm not sure. I'm casting right now. Whenever I'm done."

An irritated sigh came through. _Fine. Ping me when you're on your way._ The connection broke and I shook my hand to get rid of the pins-and-needles sensation using the glyph always caused.

"He says that's fine, but to ping him before we leave. What's that?"

Al took the mirror and set it next to his on a low shelf. "It's like buzzing someone in an apartment building so they can unlock the front door for you." I nodded in understanding and he gestured impatiently towards the nearly completed writing. "The sooner you finish, the sooner we can get it over with."

I soon was done and massaging my hand while he looked over my work. "Good. Now for the casting. Set it up." With no more direction than that, I drew the intersecting circles. The four candles went in their assigned places, set with their respective words. A chain of my hair went in one circle, the paper in a second. The third held only the candle.

I anointed and lit the candles as Al looked on. After closing the circles, he held out the book I had been copying from and I started reciting the intricate Latin phrases. A moment later the first candle went out, then the second. The third candle stayed lit for what seemed an eternity.

Finally, it went out and the center candle lit up as a shudder passed through me. "Well done, itchy-witch. Now clean this mess up and we can start stirring." I brightened a little at the praise and stuck a finger through the edge of the circle.

A little while later we were hunched over a spell pot, mixing a batch of appearance curses to go along with my new brush-n-wash ability. It was a pain to make, requiring more ingredients than I thought possible for such a seemingly simple spell.

"This is why we have familiars. Otherwise we'd spend half our lives stirring and we'd never get anything done." Al had been complaining about his lack of a familiar for nearly an hour. "Nathaniel Gordian Pierce may have been a pain in my demon ass, but he was good at stirring."

"Why don't you just get another one?" I hated advocating his glorified slave trade, but I was sick of hearing about it. "It's not like you don't have the pick of the bunch."

He handed me a small jar of fairy dust. "I would, but none are quite ready yet. One is close, but it'll probably be at least a month. And I'll have to teach him to stir, he just uses ley lines."

"Human?"

"Yes." Taking back the fairy dust, he handed me a knife. Thankful it wasn't the twisted one I hated, I nicked my finger and dribbled in three drops of blood. The scent of burnt amber rose from the pot, making my eyes water with its strength.

I drank the putrid liquid as Al commiserated with me. "You never really get used to the taste. If you plug your nose it helps a little." I did and found it barely helped at all, but at least I wasn't choking with every swallow. "Anyway, each batch of this gives you three forms. The initial casting allowed you to be able to do it, now this actually powers the change. All you have to do is concentrate on the form you wish to take and think 'Lavare'."

"Sounds easy enough," I rasped, my throat burning.

He gave me a knowing look. "That it does, until you try it. The proper amount of effort takes time to perfect." He glanced in the pot. "Almost done, just a few more swallows. Then we can go give what's-his-face his car and I can take you home."

I finished the potion and leaned back in my chair, my full stomach sloshing a little. "Actually, I told Ivy to summon me if I'm not back in three days." An eyebrow raised nearly to his hairline in silent question. "I was gone for six months. The least I can do is stay here for a few days."

"How very… generous of you, to grace me with your presence for so long."

"Sarcasm unnecessary, Al. If you don't want me here, I'll make the damn car and you can take me home. Don't forget about Bis or my things, either." I stood, upset with him but happy I no longer wanted to vomit. "Let's go. The sooner we do this, the sooner I can get out of your hair."

Muttering under his breath, he made a gesture I had never seen before over his mirror. "He's waiting." The next thing I knew I was reforming in a large room. Al's place was decorated in old-school British opulence; this could only be described as medieval.

A huge fireplace took up an entire wall. It was literally an ox-roaster –I would be able to stand upright in it with plenty of room to spare. The floor was covered in woven mats made of rushes. Several heavy-looking stools were scattered around a large dinner table. Tapestries featuring different coats-of-arms were hung on the walls. A large clear space was opposite the table and fireplace, holding only an impatient demon. Except for the demon, it looked like something you would see on the History Channel.

I greeted Tron and looked pointedly around the room. "You sure you want it in here? I don't think a Buick will match the décor very well."

He huffed loudly and crossed his arms. "Well, I _had_ planned on putting it in a different room, but you took it."

"Quid pro quo, demon. Now unless you want to be part of the car when it appears, I'd suggest moving." I pulled a stool over to face the empty spot and sat down. "Ready, Al?"

He stood behind me, placing his hands on my shoulders. "Whenever you are."

Closing my eyes, I concentrated on finding the collective, following a path I hadn't known existed in my mind. Newt must have put it there when she was swimming around in my unconscious. Pushing the thought aside, I focused on my mom's car. It appeared in my mind's eye exactly as I remembered it. I reached out for Al and he slid into my thoughts.

_Red, itchy-witch. He wanted red._ I made the car the same cherry-red color as my old convertible and gave myself over to Al. He caught me as he sifted through my mind, giving the old car little quirks I had forgotten about. The glove compartment you had to slam closed, the spring in the backseat that poked a little, the stain on the floor from when I dropped my milkshake when I was little.

_Memoranda._ He spoke the word to fix the memory into existence and I heard a sharp intake of breath from Tron. I lifted my head from Al's chest, seeing my mom's now-red car sitting in the middle of a castle. The two demons spoke for a moment, but I couldn't make out the words. I closed my eyes, glad I had insisted Al fix the memory. He might want me, but he wouldn't take advantage while I was recovering.

* * *

I woke up slowly, an odd warmth surrounding me. Snuggling back into the body behind me, a muscular arm tightened around my waist. Hot breath tickled the back of my neck and I sighed sleepily.

"Mmm, good morning, itchy-witch."

I panicked, bolting straight up and halfway across the bed. A smug demon eyed me from next to where I laid, a small smile playing on his lips. "What the hell, Al?"

He stretched and laced his fingers behind his head. The velvety blanket slid down him as he moved, revealing a tanned, sculpted body. I couldn't have stopped my eyes from wandering any more than I could have stopped my pulse. Noticing my appraisal of his assets, he shifted and my gaze zeroed in on his circling hips. God help me, he was a demon, but I wasn't blind.

"Stop that. And what the hell are we doing in bed together?"

He stopped gyrating and gave me an innocent look. The effect was ruined by the goat-slitted eyes glinting in amusement. "You've been out for about nine hours. You needed tending and I was tired." He patted the space next to him. "I gave you the soft pillow."

"Nine hours for a car? It was three days for an entire landscape!"

"It was a long day. I think it probably would have only been an hour or two if you weren't ready to go to sleep anyway."

"And you're naked because… why?"

Smiling, he idly scratched his chest. "I'm not naked. Give me credit for having a little self control, at least. I have pants on." He leered at me. "I could take them off, if you wanted."

Satisfied there was more between us than a sheet, I moved back to where I was before and leaned against the headboard. "Not gonna happen, Al."

"Says the one who was on top of me two days ago." My cheeks heated at the reminder. "So, you think I'm a good kisser, do you?"

My jaw dropped. "What? Why would- But- Damnit, Al! Those are my personal thoughts!"

"I know, and they were ever so entertaining." He grinned widely. "I didn't realize how much you missed me while you were gone, itchy-witch."

"Shut up!"

Al got to his hands and knees, crawling closer to me with every word. "But what I don't understand is why you insist on denying yourself what you want… need… crave…" He was inches away from me, his every breath tickling the fine hairs around my ear.

I took in a shuddering breath, jumping a little when a line warmed me. "Al, don't."

"Why not? You want to see what it's like. Your curiosity is killing you. You don't want to admit it to yourself, but you know it as well as I do, _Rachel_." He purred my name and I closed my eyes.

I put my hand on his chest and pushed lightly. "No. Don't do this."

My eyes were still closed, but I could almost feel his frown as he backed away. "Or maybe it's that fucking elf." I gasped, my eyes flying open and meeting his. "What does he have that I don't? Money? Prestige? A fucking limousine?" He was growling angrily by the end.

Now I was pissed. "Fuck you, Algaliarept! How dare you even think things like that are what matter to me!" He jerked back when I used his full name and glared at me. "You sift through my head, reading thoughts I haven't even gotten around to admitting to myself and you try to use them against me? That's low, even for a demon."

"At least I'm not afraid of being what I am! You've done nothing but bitch and moan ever since you found out about your heritage! You're banished to the fucking Ever-After and it finally gets through your thick skull and then what? Yes, you almost died, but so have we all. You said yourself that that fucking elf put your soul in a bottle for a few days. You know your aura was back when you were let out, but what did you do? You hid in a fucking church for _six goddamn months_! And you think to tell me about what is proper demon etiquette? Please."

He took a deep breath to keep berating me and I slapped him. Hard. So hard it felt like I almost broke my hand. His look turned to one of pure shock as an angry red print blossomed on his cheek. "God damn you, you son of a bitch!" Hot tears flowed down my face as I screamed at him.

"I never asked for any of this! I didn't want to be a fucking demon! I wanted a normal life on the other side, with my friends and my family and my job that I love! But no, I end up being the fucking witch equivalent of Typhoid Mary, spreading chaos wherever I go! And you know what? That elf made me feel normal for the first time in a long fucking while, so excuse me if I like it!"

"Right. He kissed you twice, once when you were brain-dead and once when he gave you the word to break the charm he put on you to keep you from me! Let's just forget the fact that you two couldn't even stand the sight of one another for how long? And how many times did he try to kill you? Even after you risked yourself to save him? You sure know how to pick a winner, don't you?"

"What the hell do you know about it? "

There was a sound of ripping fabric as he fisted his hands in the sheets. "I know that I had more of a reason to kill you than he ever did, and I stopped doing it a hell of a lot sooner!" Al seemed to realize he was tearing his bed up and he backed off a bit. "You need to open your eyes and stop seeing people as you want them to be, instead of what they are."

Seeing him trying to calm himself made me force my voice to sound relatively normal. "Please, enlighten me, then."

"Trenton Aloysius Kalamack is an amazingly successful businessman and politician. He is also a murderer and manufactures illegal drugs and biodrugs. He ordered his first man killed at age fifteen. He personally killed his first man at seventeen. Over a thousand people owe their deaths to either his direct orders or him personally. He tricks people into working for him, then blackmails them when they realize exactly what he does. Then he kills them and tries to convince himself that it's okay because he throws money at the victim's family." I swallowed nervously when the memory of seeing a scientist murdered in Trent's office surfaced.

He saw the knowledge in my face and nodded. I spoke past the lump in my throat, my voice rough. "And you, Al?"

"Me? Well, I'm a demon, along with everything that represents. I'm well over five thousand years old and have seen and done most everything. I have killed before and I will, in all certainty, kill again. I procure familiars for other demons and I am damn good at it. As you are fond of saying, it isn't illegal to summon demons, just really stupid. I use other's stupidity to my advantage."

"Is that it?"

His eyes narrowed. "I also have the dubious pleasure of dealing with –on a regular basis- the woman who stole my name, tricked me out of a familiar I had for nearly a thousand years, got out of being my familiar herself, got me to agree to safe summoning without a circle, humiliated me several times in front of my peers and superiors, and faked her death to get out of seeing me and then had the gall to yell at me when I gave Newt someone who tried to murder me when I was down instead of giving myself to her because of said faked death." He looked away from me, his voice taking on a raw note. "And yet I still teach her, allow her to be herself, never force myself upon her even when…"

I touched his shoulder and he flinched almost imperceptibly. "Al? Even when, what?"

"Nothing. Get your things together, I'm taking you home when the sun goes down." He moved to get off the bed and I stopped him.

"Al, talk to me."

Eyes closed and shoulders slumped, he spoke so quietly I had to strain to hear him. "I've never forced myself on you even when I was ordered to kill you. Most demons would have raped you then, regardless of whether or not you were afraid. Then you were unconscious for days. I could have then, but I didn't. Even last night, when we were lying here and you were pressed up against me I could have, but I didn't."He looked at me then, clearly unhappy. "I know you'd like to think me a monster, Rachel, but I'm not. I may be a demon, but I'm not evil."

He poofed out before I could say anything and I slid down under the covers, depressed now that my anger had burnt itself out. Al had made some very good points about demons. If I was to say that he was evil because he was a demon, that would make me a hypocrite since I didn't consider myself evil and I was most certainly a demon, as well.

_Have I been stupid about everything lately?_ Trent, for example. I had to admit I was smitten with the elf ever since seeing him without his business façade. But was I trying to justify his actions since he had a daughter? Lots of mobster-types have families they adore when at home and then they go out and kill people; I wouldn't forgive them any of that. Was I doing it with Trent because I was ignoring the truth and only seeing what I wanted to see?

Same thing with Al; was I only looking at him as an evil, slave-trading, lying demon because it was what I wanted to see? I was a demon and I wasn't inherently evil, if anything I avoided doing bad things like the plague if at all possible. Was I doing Al a disservice by lumping him in with the other demons that thought of witchkind as mere insects?

Groaning, I rubbed my temples to try and relieve the pressure, hoping to avoid the threatening headache. I snuffed the light with a whispered word and closed my eyes, forcing my body to relax even as my mind whirled with thoughts. I wasn't surprised when a puff of air announced Al's arrival a few minutes later.

"Itchy-witch?"

"Yeah, Al?"

"Are you ready to go?"

I sat up and looked for him, even though it was wasted effort in the pitch-dark room. "Already? I thought it would hours."

A small ball of light appeared, dimly lighting the room. "It has been. You must have fallen back asleep."

I rolled out of the bed, grabbing my bag and mirror. "Is Bis ready?"

"Yes. Shall we?" I nodded and we misted into the library just long enough for the gargoyle to jump on my shoulder. We reformed in the graveyard a moment later. Al turned to me before leaving. "I'll call you when I'm ready for you. Keep a glyph with you at all times. If you come to a decision before then, let me know."

* * *

Ceri invited me over the next day when I asked her to help me make a new, portable mirror. We set up the circle in a special area in the rear of the compound where she stirred curses for Al in order to remove some of the accumulated smut she carried. Unlike the first time a made a glyph, this one went off without a hitch.

Afterwards, we had tea –well, she had tea, I had coffee- and just talked. About babies, magic, men, life in general. When I got up the nerve, I broached the subject of Al.

"I was wondering when you'd say something about him. Ivy said you told her three days and you were back after two. What happened?"

"Well…" I contemplated how much to tell her. "We got into a huge fight. What do you know about Al?"

Ceri scoffed, the sound seeming wrong coming from her delicate face. "After a thousand years? Pretty much everything. Why?"

"He told me I was being stupid and that he wasn't evil just because he was a demon. It basically boiled down to me seeing what I want to see because I refuse to acknowledge things for what they really are. Know what I mean?"

She nodded, sipping her fragrant tea. "Well, first things first. He said he wasn't evil just because he was a demon. If it was anyone else saying that I'd have my doubts, but with Al I can believe it, or at least believe that he believes it."

I furrowed my brow and she sighed, going into impatient teacher mode. "Okay, think of it this way. We're both covered in demon smut, right?" I nodded. "Would you consider either one of us evil or bad because of it?"

"No. We did what we had to do at the time."

"Exactly. Granted, most of the people walking around with black auras are indeed evil, that doesn't necessarily mean that _everyone_ with smut is evil. Demons, while the vast majority are rotten bastards, are not inherently evil. You, for example. You are a verified day-walking demon. Are you evil? No."

"Okay, I see where you're going with this, but what about Al specifically?"

"Al is…" She stared out the window for a long moment, deep in thought. "Al isn't evil. He's done a lot of evil things, but he himself is not. He had every opportunity to do unspeakable things to me, but refrained the majority of the time."

I leaned forward, coffee completely forgotten. "But you were a wreck when you came out!"

"A thousand years of slavery would do that to anyone. To be perfectly honest, Rachel, most of the more horrific things that happened to me occurred at the hands of other demons. In comparison to every other familiar I met, I was treated like royalty."

"He's a slave trader! He's the one that put a lot of them there."

She sighed heavily. "Rachel, why did you ask me for my opinion if you weren't going to listen? This is what he was talking about. You need to stop seeing things in black and white and start seeing things in shades of gray. This is what I'm saying, take it for what you want: I was a familiar for a millennium. I thank my lucky stars that it was Al I served instead of any other demon."

I swallowed nervously. "Okay… what about Trent?"

Her green eyes opened wide in surprise. "Trent?" She gave me a small, knowing smile and I flushed slightly. "Trent gave me a healthy daughter. I owe him more than I could ever repay. That being said, he has done truly horrible things in the name of power and money. He hides his real self behind a mask, doing things he thinks are necessary and making excuses to himself as to why it is acceptable behavior. I hate what he does, but I'm thankful he does it."

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. "You know, I asked you hoping you could help me figure this out. Now I'm more confused than ever."

"That's how things like this always are, Rachel. You should know by now our hearts and brains are rarely on the same page," she said, laughing lightly.

I made a small sound of agreement. Changing the subject to more inconsequential things, we talked for a while longer, just enjoying each other's company. We parted with a hug and promises to visit each other more often. On my way out, I ran into Trent. Literally. I turned a corner and plowed right into him.

He caught me when I nearly fell, his strong hands steadying me. Quen stood next to Trent, a small smile crinkling his pockmarked face. "Hey Trent, Quen. I didn't think I'd run into you here." They both gave me an odd look.

"Rachel, we live here." Trent's smooth voice was amused. "I take it you didn't come here just to plow me over in the hall."

"No, I was visiting Ceri. She's around somewhere." _Duh, Rachel. She lives here, too._

Quen's small smile turned into a real grin when I mentioned his wife. "I would hope so. Sa'han, would you mind if-"

"Go on. I'm sure I can manage walking to my office without you." The older elf nodded to us both and strode off, happy to go see Ceri.

"I'm glad you're here." Trent's voice was pitched lower than usual.

"Oh, really? It used to be that you hated when I was wandering around your house unsupervised."

He chuckled softly. "Yes, well, times change. Would you care to accompany me to dinner Friday evening? It's a charity fundraiser for one of the children's hospitals I support."

"How could I say no to that? Of course I'll go."

He smiled widely, showing perfect white teeth. "Excellent. It's a 'Black and White Ball'. Black and white clothes only. I'll call you with the time details later. I can't remember off the top of my head." Leaning down, he whispered, "Thank you." He planted a soft kiss below my earlobe and I shivered.

Stepping back, he plastered on his professional face as an employee passed us. "Have a good day, Miss Morgan. I'll be in touch."

Amused by his quick change, I smiled a little. "You too, Mr. Kalamack. I can see myself out."

We went our separate ways and I passed several employees who saw the entire exchange, but hadn't heard us. They were trying to stare at me but not make it obvious, which of course made it worse. I could just imagine what they were thinking. _Mr. Kalamack talking to Rachel Morgan? Isn't she a demon? What does she want with him? Trying to put him in jail again, I bet._

Sometimes Jenks and I played that game. It was kind of difficult considering he could hear what was actually being said. I just looked like I was insane and talking to myself since he usually sat on my earrings. Whatever.

Ivy was reading a magazine on the couch when I got home. The pixies were making a huge fuss over something, but the voices were too high-pitched for me to understand what was going on. I could sense Bis up in the belfry, trying to get some peace and quiet as far away from the chaos as possible.

I got Ivy's attention and motioned to the kitchen, She gracefully got up and followed me in, only removing her earphones when we were in a pixy-free zone. "What in the Turn happened to cause that?"

She leaned against the table, crossing her legs at the ankle. "Apparently a bunch of wings were glued together, so the victims of that retaliated by throwing seeds at others, who unfortunately were the wrong ones. They did something back, I didn't catch what, and now the kids all hate each other forever. Jenks and Belle have been trying to straighten them out for nearly an hour."

"Wow. I'm glad I missed that." She nodded and winced at a particularly high wing screech from Jenks. "Do you mind if I use your computer for a bit?"

Shrugging, she went to the fridge and got out the orange juice. "Sure. Why?"

"Trent invited me to a charity ball on Friday and I need to find a dress." I sat in Ivy's chair, the kitchen looking wrong from this angle. "It's black and white themed and none of my black things are appropriate for a children's hospital benefit."

"A charity event just before New Year's Eve? Must be a biggie."

"My thoughts exactly. That's why I need to find a good dress." I turned my attention to the monitor and scrolled through dozens of pages of hideous 'fashion' before I found one I liked. "Hey, come look at this one."

The vampire put down her magazine, coming around the table and standing next to me. "Nice. I'd go with that and keep your hair down."

I printed out the pictures and smiled, pleased I had an idea. _Now I just need to make it happen._ Jenks came in shortly afterwards, pronounced that my fashion sense was finally coming around, and left again in a flurry of upset kids.

Excusing myself from the cloud of winged things invading the kitchen, I stood in front of the full-length mirror in my room, concentrating on the dress and accessories I would need. I closed my eyes, picturing the long black dress. _Halter neck, floor length, long slit with white ruffle showing through, sparkly accent on the chest, matching sparkly earrings and bracelets, stilettos, clutch purse, artfully messy but tamed curls… I can do this._

I focused all my will on the picture in my head, making sure I was covered from front to back, side to side. Feeling out the line energy spindled in my head, I used up one of my curses. "Lavare."

A tingle washed over me and I accepted any smut this would make before it had a chance to hit me. Still thinking about the dress in my head, I opened my eyes and gasped. "Ivy! Come here for a minute!"

She was at my door in two seconds flat, her face pinched in worry. When she saw me her jaw dropped. "Oh my god, Rachel. You look fantastic!" Jenks flew by my open door, backtracking when he saw me.

Whistling his approval, he flitted around me, dusting silver. "Holy crap, Rache! Whatever you did, you need to do it more often."

"Thanks, Jenks," I replied flatly. He laughed before bolting out the door, chirping furiously as several of his kids flew by carrying something that looked suspiciously like an egg. Ivy followed, wondering out loud how they got it out of the fridge.

Elated with my success, I got out my glyph and called for Al. _Al, Al, Come in, Al._

_This had better be important,_ he practically snarled.

_Geez, sorr-ry._

_Oh, itchy-witch, it's you._ His anger left him abruptly, as if he flipped a switch. _I was trying to clean up that mess in your room. I don't know what he did in there, but I don't think I want to know._

I shuddered, my imagination conjuring up all sorts of awful things. _If you don't want to know, I sure as the Turn don't._ I sensed his agreement. _Anyway, I had a question about the brush and wash curse._

_Oh, okay. _He sounded disappointed and I questioned the wisdom of asking him about the curse I was using to go out with Trent. Well, in for a penny, in for a pound, as my mom used to say.

_I got it to work. If I take off the outfit, will I still have the clothes? How long does it last?_

I sensed his surprise. _Did it take all three tries?_

_Nope. First shot._

I could practically feel his eyebrows raise._ Really? Hm._

_So, can I keep the clothes or do I have to reconjure them every time?_

_It depends on the strength of the spell. If you don't dismiss it, it will last indefinitely while you are wearing it. Invite me over and I can tell you if the clothes will last or not._

_Hold on._ I walked out to the living room, my hand still firmly pressed to the glass. Whistling loudly, I got all fifty-something occupant's attention. "Al is coming over for a few moments. Pixies in the sanctuary and stay there. Bis, you can come in with me if you want."

I felt a silent assent as Bis made his way to the kitchen. The horde of pixies flew into the desk under Jenks' and Belle's watchful eyes. Ivy followed me to the kitchen, making herself comfortable in her throne.

Bis landed on the table lightly and looked at me with wide eyes. "Wow, Miss Rachel. You look really pretty."

"Why, thank you, Bis." He flushed a deep gray. I sensed Al's impatience and smiled. _Come on over, Al. We're in the kitchen._

The connection broke and I set the mirror next to the gargoyle, hating the pins-and-needles it always gave me. A tug on the line out back heralded Al's entrance. He appeared next to the island in his usual green velvet frock coat and smoked glasses. His eyebrows rose for a moment before he noticed the others in the room. "Greetings, vampire. Gargoyle. Pixy."

Jenks had come in. _Surprise, surprise._ "So, what do you think, Al?" I spun in place, the bottom of the dress flaring out to show my shoes.

"Impressive for your first time." I could feel his gaze on me, sizing up not only the clothes, but the body underneath.

Jenks noticed and buzzed loudly. "Hey, demon. The clothes, not the girl." Al's eyes narrowed at the pixy, but he didn't say anything.

Turning his attention back to me, Al walked around me slowly. "Does it feel solid? Do you feel completely dressed or is it an illusion?"

"It feels real."

He reached out and ran his fingers down my side, ostensibly feeling the cloth, although I knew better. So did Ivy, and a low growl burst out of her. Al's head snapped toward the sound and I felt him gathering energy from my line.

"Hey, hey now!" I stepped in between the demon and my roommates. "If you can't play nice, go wait in the sanctuary. He's helping me out right now and I don't want anything happening, alright?"

Jenks muttered something about stupid witches and darted into the other room. Ivy followed him, trying to get her vamp instincts under control. She made an I'm-watching-you gesture towards Al and he sneered. Bis took a deep breath and puffed himself up, but didn't leave.

I let my arms fall back down and sighed. "Can't we all just get along? Geez."

"Take off your shoes."

"What?" I turned back to Al and he gave me one of his patented _looks_.

"Take off your shoes." I kicked them off and immediately shrunk by a good four inches. He picked them up and felt them to make sure they were solid. Part of me was waiting for him to do something creepy like smell them, but he didn't, thankfully.

"Seems solid. I don't see why it wouldn't stay in your closet. The real test, though, is taking it off and seeing if it's still there in the morning."

I smiled, thrilled I had impressed him. "Great! Thank you for checking!"

"What's the occasion?"

I froze, knowing this wouldn't end well. "I have a charity event on Friday."

"Really? With whom?" His voice had taken on a sharp edge.

I briefly considered circling before I answered him. He raised an eyebrow, the look on his face telling me he already knew the answer and was just waiting to hear my excuse. "Trent. He asked me today after I visited Ceri."

"Hmph. The elf."

I frowned slightly. "Yes. It's for a good cause, so I saw no reason to say no."

"Fine." Al stepped into my personal space, leaning in close to my ear and whispering so no one could overhear. "Have your fun with the elf and justify it however you see fit, but remember what you are, Rachel. You _will_ come to me before this is all over, and I'll make you regret waiting so long."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** Sorry for the wait, everyone. It's been nearly a week, so hopefully you're all still with me. I was trying to be at least one chapter ahead of what I was posting, but Rachel isn't agreeing with me right now and I got tired of waiting to put this up.

A big thank you goes out to everyone who reviewed! Your comments keep me motivated and I love you for it. As a reward *wink wink* this chapter has a slight lemony-flavor, if you know what I mean. Not the whole fruit, but a definite taste.

As always, reviews are love. All characters are property of the lovely Kim Harrison. I just play with them.

* * *

I sipped the champagne slowly, ready to go home. I had been ready for quite a while, actually. Trent was in full out politician mode, meeting and greeting and shaking hands. Right now, he was in front of a microphone making a small speech about how much good we were all doing by donating and blah, blah, blah. I shifted slightly and smiled when a photographer snapped my picture.

For all that this was supposed to be an event celebrating generosity and people banding together to help save innocent lives, this was an obstacle course of greasy power plays and shrewish actions. Never before had I felt so out of place, so… _demonic_, including when I was banished in front of the coven.

Ignoring the snide comments about my hair had been easy. Hearing derisive words about my dress had been hard, but I managed. The wary looks I received were difficult to take. The part I had the most trouble with was the bubble around me. The room was packed, but nobody set foot within nearly five feet of me unless I was with Trent.

Finishing his speech to a smattering of polite applause, Trent stepped off the stage and came to me, slipping his arm around my waist. "Having fun?"

I gave him a strained smile and pitched my voice low. "Not really. Are you almost done?"

"No." He sighed, and I heard the irritation behind the smile. "If you want to leave, I can make some excuses and-"

"No, stay. This is your night. I'll just call a cab."

He shook his head. "Take the car. Quen can come back for me after taking you back to your church." We made our way to the line of waiting cars outside. The older elf was waiting beside Trent's trademark gray car and opened the door for me. Trent kissed my hand before going back inside, Quen tactfully not saying anything.

I finally relaxed as the limo pulled away from the curb. "I don't see how he does that."

Quen's eyes met mine in the rearview mirror. "It takes a certain… talent. One that I believe, for all your considerable skills, you sorely lack." I gave him a rueful smile.

"Yeah. Let's just say that as much fun as this evening was, I doubt I'll attend any more charity balls. Those people are…" I couldn't find a way to describe them without insulting Trent, so I settled on making a disgusted noise. The elf chuckled, clearly agreeing with me.

"Tell me about it. Why do you think I stayed in the car?"

* * *

The smell of chocolate chip cookies filled the kitchen and we were all digging in. I had finished a batch less than an hour ago and they were already almost gone. A few had gone on a plate I set on my desk for the pixy kids to enjoy, Jenks and Belle were sharing one on the kitchen table, Ivy and I were both working on our third and Bis, the little sugar fiend, was on his sixth and finally slowing down.

"So, yeah. No more 'society events' for me." When I had come home and started baking, everyone knew I had a bad time.

Jenks scoffed. "I could have told you that, Rache. You just aren't a high class kind of woman." Bis threw a crumb at the pixy, who laughed as he dodged it. "You know what I mean! You can work the room most places, but a millionaire's club black tie ultra-uptight flaunt-your-wealth thing? No."

"Sure she could. It would just take some… delicate… maneuvering." I looked at Ivy, who refused to meet my gaze. She gave a half-hearted shrug as Jenks burst into giggles. Belle was keeping her mouth shut, even though she was trying –and failing- not to smile. Bis looked offended on my behalf, but the effect was somewhat ruined by the melted chocolate on his chin.

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I love you guys, too. Jerks."

Finished gorging myself on sweets, I got up and started the dishes. To be honest, I wasn't too disappointed I didn't fit in with Trent's peers. All the backstabbing talk, the catty women, the men who were convinced that because they were rich they were every woman's wet dream; I could definitely do without it. The blue chrysalis on the windowsill caught my eye and I smiled. My life might be complicated, but I don't think I would have it any other way.

A sneeze erupted suddenly and I glared at the symbol of 'my' demon. _Well, there are a couple things I would change._ I gave up the hope it was a fluke as I sneezed a second and third time in rapid succession. I pulled the calling mirror out from under the island and laid my hand on it, not bothering to hide my irritation as I answered.

"Yes?"

_Ah, itchy-witch! I have need of your unique services._

"That's great. What do you want?"

_Do you recall how you offered me the use of your memory when I needed it? I need it now._ He was absolutely thrilled, for some reason.

"Why? What happened?"

_Somebody made a mista-a-a-ake!_ His sing-song voice made me smile. _I need a training area for him and I don't want him wrecking our kitchen._

Al's excitement was starting to affect me through the mirror, it was so strong. And I liked how he said 'our kitchen'. "Now? Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

_No. He's in storage right now, but I also have a surprise to show you! I'll bring you back as soon as the sun sets tomorrow if you'd like. Oh, and no need to bring your gargoyle. I just need you to do this for me. No other spelling, no visiting, no anything else. No need for you to bring your bag or mirror, even. I'll supply everything! I promise._ Wow, he really did want me over there.

"Fine. Give me a minute." I broke the connection and looked up to see everyone staring at me. "Al needs me for some urgent spelling, apparently. I'll be back tomorrow evening, since we probably won't be done before dawn. Bis, you can stay here if you want."

His wings drooped. "But, Miss Rachel, I-"

"Really, it's okay. Treble isn't going to be giving you lessons, so you'd just be sitting there and be bored out of your mind. Stay here and enjoy your night."

"Well, okay. If you're sure you won't need me for anything…"

I smiled at him. He was such a good kid. "I'm positive. I'm not even taking my mirror with me." I opened the fridge and pulled out a large bottle of water. "See? This is it."

I waved when I felt a twinge on my ley line and reformed in my sanctuary-sized room. Al stood in front of me, giving me an amused look. "What?"

"The Pink Panther? Really, Rachel?"

I groaned, remembering how I looked. I had changed before I started the cookies, putting on a pair of black pajama pants with the cat's face patterned all over them, a black cami top and my favorite fuzzy slippers, which happened to be a bubblegum pink that matched my pants. No wonder I was starting to shiver.

"Shut up, Al." I put the bottle of water on the floor and rubbed my arms, goosebumps forming despite my efforts. "It's freezing in here."

Cursing softly, he took off his ever-present coat and handed it to me. "Here. You wouldn't be so cold if you put clothes on. Not that _I'm_ complaining, mind you."

I pulled it on, reveling in the glide of velvet over my skin. The sleeves were too long and covered my hands, so I stuck them in the pockets. "Well, you did say I didn't need to bring anything. And besides, I didn't think we were going to be working in sub-arctic temperatures."

"It isn't that bad."

"Right." I looked around the room. It was still empty, but almost all of the graffiti had been removed. "I like what you've done with the place."

He narrowed his eyes at me. "I've had to scrub off every bit of paint by hand." My eyes widened. He seemed placated by that and the hint of anger left his voice. "I need you to see if you can get rid of the rest, put in a small holding area, and give me a kitchen if you can. I have to have a big fireplace, at least."

"How am I supposed to do that? I thought it had to be one of my own memories."

He shrugged. "Pick and choose from them, I suppose. You see what this room looks like, picture clean stone over there." He pointed toward the remaining proof of the other demon's ownership. "For the cell part… something the size of one of the interrogation rooms at your F.I.B. should work well."

"How do you know how big that is? I thought you've only seen the conference room."

He smiled. "True, but you know, don't you?" I didn't answer. "And for the kitchen, you know what a spelling kitchen looks like. Fire-wise I need something a good size, but nothing like that monstrosity of Tron's."

I nodded, going over what he wanted and mentally arranging the room before I actually started. "Do you want this stuff anywhere in particular?"

He shook his head and sat on the floor, patting his lap. "Come sit, itchy-witch. I assure you, I am much more comfortable than the floor."

_Yeah, right._ "I don't think so." I sank to the floor, crossing my legs as I went. As soon as my butt touched the stone, I squeaked, jumping right back up. It was like sitting on a block of ice. His face carefully neutral, Al patted his knees again.

I took the offered place and he wrapped his arms around me. "Much better, don't you agree?"

It was, but I'd never let him know it. "I'm only doing this because the floor is freezing."

"Mmm. Of course you are." I glared at him and he smiled innocently. "I'm ready whenever you are."

Closing my eyes, I entered the collective and pictured the room as it was. My mental self walked around the place, fixing cracked stones here and there, erasing the rest of the graffiti by picturing that bit of wall, bringing the temperature up to something bearable. I made the far end of the room a kitchen, using the current one Al worked in as a model. The small room went in the corner next to where we were seated. I made the walls as solid as I could and gave it the reinforced door I remembered from the station. A second, smaller fireplace went in on a long wall, closer to us than the far end. Satisfied, I reached out for Al, who was waiting for me.

He came in and walked around the room, impressed with my set up. He put his arms around me and I felt him sifting through my head, pulling out the individual bits of the room and putting them together. My energy waned as he picked me over and distantly I felt a small throb where my head had fallen against his shoulder.

"Memoranda." Energy flowed out of me like a waterfall. I felt the snap of reality returning and opened my eyes. The room was exactly as I had imagined it, the only difference being a copy of the sitting area from the library in front of the nearest fire.

We misted out and into his bedroom, where Al tucked me in gently. I could barely keep my eyes open as he leaned over me and made sure my hair wasn't being pulled. "Like it, Al?"

He gave me a genuine smile and bent close. "It's perfect. Thank you." Soft lips pressed against mine for a split second before he disappeared. I wanted to be upset but was too tired to work up anything more than indifference. Even then, I had to force it. I was just too worn out to make myself care.

An unbidden thought ran through my head. _Or maybe I'm drained enough to not fight the fact that maybe I like him a little bit, too._

* * *

When I woke up, as expected, I wasn't alone in the bed. "Good morning, Al." I tried to sit up, but the arm around my waist tightened and pulled me back down. "Wait a minute, geez." I took off the green coat and flung it at the nearest bookcase, where it caught the corner and hung there.

I laid back down facing the demon, who immediately wrapped himself around me. Pillowing my head on a firm bicep, I draped my arm around his waist and felt the muscles in his back quiver as I touched them. I was rewarded with a small moan and a sleepy smile. "Morning, itchy-witch."

"What time is it?"

He lifted his head to peer over me. "Um, noon?" His hands slowly roamed across my back and sides, carefully avoiding going too high or too low. "You're awfully friendly this morning."

I blushed as I realized exactly how much of us was touching. We were pressed together from chest to knee, our legs entwined, arms holding each other tightly. His enjoyment was obvious, poking into my hip through the thin fabric of our p.j. pants. "Yeah, well… you know."

"So tell me, how was your date?" I stiffened and his hands stopped their restless movement.

"I really don't want to talk about that right now."

He must have heard the displeasure in my voice because he chuckled and his hands resumed their stroking. "That bad?"

"Yes."

"Good." I raised my eyes to meet his heated gaze. "You were wasted on him." Nervously, I licked my lips. His eyes followed the movement and a shiver ran down my spine.

"Al?" I hated the breathy sound but couldn't have stopped the layered question. Instead of answering with any of the thousand lewd phrases I expected, he slowly took my lips with his own.

They were just as soft and warm as I remembered, tasting faintly of marshmallows. I smiled against him, pleased he enjoyed my gift. He made a low noise and rolled me to my back, his legs coming to rest between my own. I buried my hands in his hair, loving the silken feel of the long, brown waves. He nipped my bottom lip, soothing the hurt with a quick swipe of his tongue.

I opened my mouth in invitation and his tongue tangled with mine. _My god, can this man kiss!_ His hands roamed over my body, this time taking full advantage of my meager chest. His hips ground against mine, making me arch up into his solid body when he hit that certain spot.

I broke the kiss and panted, our harsh breaths filling the room. "Al! Oh my god…" I felt his lips stretch into a smile as he travelled down my neck. He stopped at the vamp scar, breathing on it softly, but not stimulating it.

"Let me…"

I shuddered in remembered sensation. "Yes, Al. God, yes."

A cry tore out of my throat when he focused his power on the sensitive spot. Sparks of ley energy ran through my body where he touched me; lips working my neck, fingers pinching my nipples, his hardness rubbing my clit… the orgasm completely blindsided me, coming from out-of-nowhere and sending me over the edge.

He kept up his attentions as I rode the waves of pleasure, easing off when I made pained sounds at my hyper-sensitivity. Finally catching my breath, I looked at the demon propped over me. "Holy shit."

Al grinned, showing a mouthful of perfect white teeth. "Just think, itchy-witch. I barely even touched you _and_ we still have all our clothes on." In a daze, I looked down to see he was right.

"Holy shit!"

He laughed and gave me a deep kiss, full of promises and unfulfilled passion. "I do believe I like seeing you speechless, Rachel." Rolling off the bed, he held a hand out to me. "Come. I still have a surprise to show you."

I took the proffered hand and was pulled into an embrace. "We're not going to finish?"

"Don't sound so disappointed. That was just a taste. I promised I would have you back right after sundown, and I have a feeling what I have to show you will take a while to process."

I didn't like the sound of that. "So you're voluntarily giving yourself blue balls because you have a present for me?"

"No. It isn't a present, but it will most definitely be a surprise. And as much as I want to be buried balls-deep inside that hot pussy and feel you come around me, I know how you work. I don't want to fuck you and then have to deal with you hating me in the morning. You sleep on it and then come back to me."

I wanted to be upset with that stellar assessment of my character, but I could see his point. I was still flying high from one of the best orgasms of my life and I was already starting to hate it. "Fine. So what's this surprise?"

"First, you are perfectly fine with me using your room for a training area for the new familiar, right?"

I shrugged. "Sure. I didn't have any plans for it, especially since you were so insistent about me sleeping in your room when I stay over here. You can have it."

His eyebrows rose. "Really? Are you sure? That's a very, very expensive room to just give away."

"So? It's mine to do what I want with it. I wasn't really going to use it, so you use it."

"Itchy-witch, you are amazing." He laid a tender kiss on my lips. "Thank you."

"No problem," I said, blushing. "So, where's this surprise?" We misted into the training room. Looking around, I gave him a wry smile. "Wow! This is awesome! Who decorated? Oh wait, I did."

His voice was dry, but his eyes glinted with amusement. "Sarcasm. Original. This way." We walked to the far end of the room and I noticed a dark figure hunched next to the fireplace. Something niggled in the back of my mind at the sight. The closer we got, the stronger the feeling became.

Al cleared his throat loudly and the figure spun around in surprise. My jaw dropped as I took in the familiar whipcord lean body covered in scars. Shaggy black hair fell over intelligent brown eyes that blazed with anger. Features I once knew and loved twisted in hatred as he looked at me. My voice cracked with emotion as I spoke to the filthy man.

"Nick?"

Al's voice broke through my shock. "Surprise! Look who got caught."

My ex turned his furious glare towards Al. "You broke our agreement!"

"I did no such thing. I told you the very first time you summoned me that you would be mine the second you made a mistake. And look, here you are!"

I saw red, my pulse pounding in my ears. "You motherfucker! You sold me out to Trent! I'm going to fucking murder you!"

Nick stood, his hands balled into fists. "Bring it on, demon whore."

I leapt at him, blind to everything except the need to scratch his lying-bastard eyes out. Al grabbed me around the waist and threw me back a second before something whistled through the air right where my head had been. I slid backwards on the stone floor as Al bellowed in rage and back handed Nick across the face.

The man flew into the wall, his head making a sick crack as it hit the stone. The piece of firewood he swung at me clattered to the floor, landing next to his limp form.

"Are you alright, itchy-witch?" Al's concerned voice came from above me and I took the hand he held out to me.

Pulling myself off the floor, I straightened my clothes, my eyes never leaving Nick. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He shrugged, standing just in the corner of my peripheral vision. "I didn't want you doing something stupid, like trying to buy him and free him. Now I see my fears were unfounded."

I turned to look at the demon. "I don't want him. You shouldn't either. He's a liar, a cheater, a thief, has delusions of grandeur and is entirely too clever for his own good." My gaze moved back to the unconscious man. "He'll give you as much trouble as you ever got with Pierce. He isn't worth it."

Al frowned. "He's just human."

"Trust me, Al. He isn't 'just' anything. My advice is either get rid of him or do something to get him under control now, because you won't catch him off guard again." The demon poofed out and was back in less than a minute, now holding an engraved silver collar. "What's that?"

"This will force him to obey me. An obedience collar, if you will." He bent over the still body, muttering in Latin. When he stood, the collar was now a seamless ring around Nick's neck. "Now he must obey my every command."

I thought about that for a moment. "Make sure you spell the orders out in advance. If you don't he'll find a way around every single one."

Al looked at me, raising an eyebrow. "Are you sure you aren't giving him too much credit? He is very crafty for a human, but…"

"Even if I am giving him too much credit, I'd say it's better to be safe than sorry, especially with that snake."

Nick made a pained noise as he started to wake up. Al kneeled in front of him and smiled wickedly when Nick opened his eyes and jerked back, letting out another groan of pain. "Nicholas Gregory Sparagmos, you are now my property. I have taken possession of you in every conceivable way. Now stand up, you worthless garbage."

Still reeling from his impact, Nick struggled to his feet, unable to deny Al's compulsion. He felt his neck and swore when he found the ring. "What the hell is this? What did you do to me?"

"Ah, I see you mean my proof of ownership. Tell me, itchy-witch, do you think I should put a tag on him, like the dog he is?"

Part of me was aghast at this whole thing, but another part of me was enjoying seeing Nick get what he deserved. "I don't think so. Rats don't have collars like that, I don't think."

"Rachel! You can't let him do this to me! Remember the good times we had? We were in love!" Al lifted his hand to smack Nick, but I stopped him.

"Wait, Al." He lowered his hand and stepped to the side, giving me a clear view of my ex. "I do remember good times, Nicky. And I did love you, but we were never _in_ love. You know what else I remember? You lying to me about leaving. You summoning me into the clutches of the coven. You trying to fuck me out of that statue, not caring about the shithole my life would become. You selling me out to Trent. You selling information about me to demons _while we were still dating._ And most of all, you convincing Jax to become a fucking criminal and breaking my best friend's heart!"

His jaw dropped and Al smiled, looking between the two of us as if he was watching a tennis match. "I had perfectly good reasons for every single one of those! You never listened to them!"

"For someone who claims to have loved, you have no idea what that word even means. Money isn't a valid reason for any of the crap that you pulled. If you honestly believe that, you are so much stupider than I thought."

"Oh yeah? Who's the one fucking a demon? It sure as hell isn't me!"

"Three things, Nicky. First, I'm not fucking him. I don't give a fairy fart in a windstorm if you believe me or not. Second, you may not be fucking a demon now, but I'm sure that will change. After all, there are only two females versus I-don't-even-know-how-many-thousands of male demons, and neither one of us is having sex with them." He paled and I grinned, enjoying his discomfort. "And third? You're getting exactly what you deserve right now. Al is going to break you, and I'm going to make sure you pay for every lie you've told me, every piece of information you sold about me, every tear I cried when you betrayed my trust."

"That's… that's inhuman! You really are a demon!"

"Yes, Nicky-crap-for-brains. I _am _a demon, and you helped make me that way." I turned to Al. "Would that collar thing work for me, too?"

"I'm afraid not. But I'll be more than happy to pass along any… messages you might have for our esteemed guest." He turned back to Nick. "Hm. 'Crap-for-brains'. I rather like that, but it seems too long. Oh, well. Nicholas, you will go directly into your chamber and shut the door. You are not to exit the room for any reason whatsoever until I permit you to do so. And keep your mouth shut. Go."

Nick moved away from the wall, obviously surprised he was following the orders. He dragged his feet until he fell, trying to disobey, but his forward motion never ceased. Only when he was in the cell and the heavy door had closed with a bang did Al and I turn to each other.

"He's never going to work with you. You're going to have to completely break him."

Al nodded. "I suspected as much. What compulsion did you want to place on him?"

"To make it so he only told the truth, the _whole_ truth no matter what he was saying or doing. And to make sure he never harmed us or anyone we care about in any way, shape, or form whatsoever."

"Smart." He looked me over, a new light in his eyes. "I honestly thought you were going to demand I let him go. What do I see instead? You behaving like a true demon and making him really see how hopeless his situation is."

I moved over to the small sitting area and flopped down in a wingback chair, Al taking the one opposite me. "Part of me wants to try and get him out of this. But then I think about everything he did behind my back while telling me how much he loved and cared for me the entire time and I truly despise him for it."

My stomach growled and I blushed. Al swore and moved to a stool by the fireplace. "Some guardian I am. You make me a construct and I haven't even fed you yet." He made a series of small gestures and all the things necessary for his famous grilled cheese sandwiches appeared. He put one together and stuck it over the fire. "Go on, so you have bad luck with men?"

That wasn't exactly what we were talking about, but the casual tone he used told me he was dying to know. "You can say that."

"Just Nick?"

"No. There was a string of short relationships when I was younger, but they didn't mesh too well with my job at the I.S. Then there was Nick. My next one was murdered in a political power play. The one after that dumped me when I got shunned, and I can't really blame him for it. Then…" I stopped before I mentioned Pierce since we didn't technically date, just had muddy sex in a hole in the ground. "Yeah. I have relationship issues."

Al handed me a perfectly done sandwich and I dug in, letting the silence grow between us. We ate and, of course, followed up the meal with marshmallows for dessert. "Thank you for the food." He nodded and sat back in his chair, crossing his knees and steepling his fingers in his usual thinking pose.

"Do you think you could get me out of here? I know it isn't time to go home yet, but I really don't want to be anywhere near Nick right now."

"Of course." We were instantly in the bedroom, Al back in his low-slung, silky green lounge pants. He flipped back the blankets and gestured to the sheets. "After you."

I crossed my arms. "The bedroom again? Really, Al? How cliché can you get?"

"I was awake for hours after you were asleep. I'm still tired, so I'm going to lay down until the sun sets. You can stand there until I wake, instead, if you'd like." He stretched, the muscles in his defined back rippling, and crawled under the covers.

I stood for another few minutes, giving up when I realized I wouldn't even be able to read in the nearly nonexistent light. Kicking off my slippers, I slid under the sheets. Al pulled me into his body, completely surrounding me with his scent. The tiny ball of light snuffed out with a soft word from him.

"Now isn't this better than standing?" Soft lips caressed the nape of my neck, sending shivers down my spine. "Relax, itchy-witch. I'll wake up in time to get you home."

I tried to enjoy the comfortable bed, but my mind refused to calm down. "What are you going to do with him?"

"It depends on how well he adjusts. If he accepts his fate and goes along with it, I'll probably end up keeping him. If this was just an indication of how he'll act for the foreseeable future, I may get rid of him. Why?"

"It's just… I can't believe he's a familiar now. I mean, I knew it was going to happen eventually, but still… and for him to be _yours_, out of all the other demons, wow."

Al huffed, his arms tightening around me. "Always the bleeding heart, even for the ones you hate. He should count himself lucky it was me that caught him instead of any of the other demons whose mark he wore."

"Demons? As in plural _demons_?"

"Yes." I pulled the blanket further over me, knowing this wasn't going to be pleasant. "He had marks from no less than ten different demons on him. And most of them had two. He has been dealing in black magic very heavily for a long time and was starting to get complacent, thinking we could never outsmart him."

I turned in his arms. "How did he mess up, anyway?"

"He did twice. First, he summoned _me_ instead of the one he wanted, since our names are so similar. Which, coincidentally, is how he got in touch with the other one to begin with. Secondly, he didn't check his circle for solidity. He was in the habit of circling himself, like you taught him, and didn't notice that his downstairs neighbor had installed a new phone line. They got a call and voila, he here is."

"Stupid Nick. I told him that he was going to get caught."

Al nuzzled into my neck, his hands splayed against my back. "Don't worry about it right now. He is no concern of yours." Sharp teeth ran up my throat and I arched back, giving him easier access. "So responsive, my itchy-witchy."

He planted a chaste kiss on my lips and tucked my head underneath his chin. The heat emanating from him forced my body to relax, if not my mind. Feeling it, he chuckled. "That's right. I'll have you back to your church this evening, so until then enjoy this."

* * *

**A/N 2:** I never put two author notes, but I felt I had to, in this case. I don't really like the ending to this chapter, so forgive me for it. I tried several different versions, but none worked... so it just kind of stops. My apologies, and I promise to do better next time around. :)


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Woohoo for an update! I can't apologize enough for my total abandonment of this story. All I can say is that I'll do my best to finish it. Chances are that there are only a few chapters left anyway. Regardless, I _will_ finish this, if it kills me to do it. :)

Enjoy!

* * *

"You are not going to believe what I have to tell you."

Ivy looked up from her monitor at my sudden entrance. Al had dropped me off back in the kitchen, which was considerate of him since there was about six inches of snow outside and I was still in my pajamas. "What is it? And I'm getting Chinese. What do you want?"

"I don't know, something spicy. Surprise me. Where's Jenks?"

The pixy zoomed in from the living room. "Right here. Have you seen Rex? The kids were picking on her and I haven't seen her in a while."

Dialing, Ivy shrugged. "Probably in the belfry with Bis." Jenks continued calling for the cat and flew out down the hallway. The vampire ordered our meals and hung up the cordless phone, completely unconcerned when Bis dropped onto the table inches from her stack of paperwork.

"Welcome back, Miss Rachel."

Jenks fluttered back in. "She was under the couch, Ivy. You said she was in the belfry."

"No, I said _probably_. There's a difference."

The gargoyle stretched his wings, carefully not touching anything on Ivy's table. "I think it's too cold for her up there."

I stared around the room, not believing that nobody cared about my big news from the other side. "No one wants to hear my super-fun story from demon-land?"

"Let me guess…" The pixy landed next to Bis and assumed his usual stance. "You got laid?"

My jaw dropped. That was the last place I thought he'd go. "Jenks!"

Ivy scoffed, too. "I think she has a little better taste than to sleep with a demon, pixy." I flushed slightly in embarrassment. They had unknowingly come very close to the truth, but there was no way I'd let them know.

Jenks burst into giggles. "I know, but did you see her face? Ha!"

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "Al got a new familiar."

"And what, you're going to rescue this one like you did Ceri?" The vampire never looked away from her computer.

"No. Even if I wanted to –and I really don't- this one is there to stay."

Jenks raised an eyebrow. "So Al got a new familiar and you don't want to save him? That's a great story, Rache."

"Fine. I'm going to take a shower." Just as I set foot in the hallway, I paused for a moment. "It's Nick." If I hadn't been expecting it, the explosion of noise and motion would have given me a heart attack. As it was, I just crossed my arms and gave the vampire blocking my way a small smile.

"Nick? As in Crap-for-Brains Nick?" I nodded and she stared at me with wide eyes.

Jenks was darting back and forth over our heads, caught between laughing at Nick and yelling at me for not saying something sooner. "It's about time the sorry sack of toad spit got what he deserved! Why didn't you say anything, Rache? We could have gotten a party together and celebrated! And are you sure you don't want to save him? Oh, crap. You're going to decide you still like him aren't you? Rache, he sold you out to Trent, not to mention everything else he's done! I can't believe you-"

"Jenks, chill. Let's go sit." Bis had taken up his usual perch on the fridge, so the table was free. I sat in my chair and Jenks landed in front of me. "First off, I have no intentions of getting him out of there. I'll help him adjust if Al asks me to, but I honestly want nothing to do with him. At all."

"How did he get caught?" The pixy paced back and forth in front of me. "I mean, we all knew it was going to happen eventually, but what did he do?"

Leaning back in the chair, I sighed. "Summoned the wrong demon and set a circle through a phone line."

"Why did you have to go if he had Nick?" The doorbell bonged and Ivy's eyes narrowed. "Don't answer that yet." A moment later she was back with the takeout containers and pushed one at me. I dug into the steaming chicken, making a happy sound when the spice hit me.

Jenks huffed in impatience. "Any time, witch."

"Remember how I told you I can make things over there?" They both nodded. "Well, Al needed a training area for him. I didn't even know who it was for until I woke up this morning." I told them about our fight between bites.

When I got to the part about him trying to bash my head in with a log, Jenks' wings turned bright red and Ivy started to vamp out. They calmed down a little when Al nearly killed him, but were still furious.

"I swear, I'll find a way to kill that demon of yours if that dipshit hurts you."

Ivy was really mad. She never cursed. "I don't think you'll have to. Al put an obedience collar on him, so Nick has to follow his orders. Number one on the agenda is 'no hurting Rachel in any way, shape, or form'."

Bis came over to sit on the table, his ears pinned back. "I knew I should have come with you, Miss Rachel."

"No, it's fine, really. I told you not to come, and Al wouldn't have let him hurt me."

Jenks huffed loudly. "Sounds like he almost didn't make it in time."

I shrugged. "I think Nick meant to attack Al when he came back and I surprised him. Regardless, I wasn't hurt and he can't do it again." I looked around the table, narrowing my eyes at the frowns pointed my way. "Stop it. Nothing happened besides Nick getting what he deserved. I'm fine. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I'm taking a shower."

-x-x-x-

An invitation came the next day. It wasn't completely unexpected, but Trent was certainly calling it close. New Year's Eve was only 2 days away. I was starting to realize that he had a marked tendency to either assume I had no plans and wait until the last minute to ask me to escort him places or have someone else do it. The exception was the charity fundraiser a few days ago, and I had a feeling that he only asked when he did because we ran into each other.

The thick parchment proclaimed in fancy script that Trent was holding a masquerade ball and that I was cordially invited, along with a guest if I desired to bring one. My first reaction was mild surprise; who on earth still held masquerades? Trent Kalamack, apparently.

Jenks didn't get an invitation and was put out about it. He ranted about elves and rude hosts until I pointed out that it was a given that he would come with me and that was why he didn't get an official invite. Besides, I did have the 'plus one' and he could have that, seeing as I had no date.

Ivy got an invitation, too. This was the first time that we were both invited to a party without having to work security. Well, except for the New Year's party last time around, when I gave Pierce a body and got the crap smacked out of me by a banshee. We kind of crashed that one. We had tickets, but they were a parting gift from my sort-of almost-boyfriend at the time, Marshal. Trent had not been happy to see us. And now we had personal invitations to the who's-who-of-Cincinnati party.

Oh, what a difference a year could make.

Ivy sat in her throne, absently eating a slice of pizza left over from dinner last night while I tried to stir my mom's hair straightening charm and failed. I couldn't manage to get the frizz to go away no matter how closely I followed her instructions. Maybe my blood wasn't witchy enough to activate the potion.

Disappointed, I dunked the failed amulets and cleaned up the island. Jenks, who had been watching my last attempt, leaned against the brandy snifter on the windowsill as I washed the dishes. "Why don't you just do the curse like you did the other day?"

"Because it's a curse. I don't want to rely on it any more than I have to. And besides-" I broke off at the familiar tickle in my nose. Turning my head a split second before a brain-rattling sneeze ripped through me, I sat on the floor and blindly groped for my mirror as a second and third came in quick succession. I found the chilled glass and smacked my hand down, trusting my fingers to find the right positions to make the connection.

"What?"

_Well, good morning to you, too, my itchy-witch._ The English voice was tinted with amusement at my less than polite greeting, with undertones of annoyance. The annoyance wasn't directed at me, but I had a good idea of who was getting on his nerves.

"What do you want, Al?" I crossed my legs and leaned against the cupboard under the sink when he sighed dramatically.

_I find myself in need of your particular… expertise. _I stayed silent, knowing he could sense my irritation with the lack of details. An uncomfortable sensation prickled across my shoulders, almost like he was embarrassed. _Nick, okay? I need some help with Nick._

My eyebrows flew up in surprise. "What? But that's what you do for a living. Why do you need me?"

_Just come over so I can pick you up. I can't come get you right now. I'll have you back in two days._

"No way! I have plans for tomorrow _and_ things to do tonight." I could see Ivy look up from her monitor and frown at my words. Jenks flitted over to her and they started a hushed conversation.

_Rachel,_ he growled, _I require your presence, love._

I could feel the simmering anger underneath the last word and I shivered involuntarily. "Fine. But I'm coming back tonight. Not in two days, not tomorrow morning. Tonight."

_We'll see. Bring your mirror._

-x-x-x-

Al grabbed me the moment I stepped into the ever after. I was the only one who could travel the lines any time of the day, a present from my tampered DNA. I would have never known if Ku'Sox hadn't had the ability, and since we shared a disturbingly similar genetic structure it was only a matter of time until I figured out that I could do it as well. I still couldn't go anywhere specific, but I could step to the other plane if I stood in a ley line, no problem.

We appeared in the training room, where Nick was painstakingly copying some text. The rusty ink brought back some not-so-fond memories of my misadventure when I was possessed by Krathion. When he stabbed himself with the sharp quill for more ink, I couldn't help my shudder.

Nick looked up when Al reached across him for a green bottle and my eyes widened in surprise. The left side of his face was puffy, the eye circled by a thick black bruise. His lip was busted in two places. Below the sleeves of his t-shirt, his arms were covered in stripes of welts and cuts. I hated the rat, but I couldn't help but feel for him. Being broken as a familiar wasn't an easy process. I had been smacked around quite a bit as a student, knowing that as an enslaved familiar I would have had an even worse time of it.

"Hello, Rachel Whore-gan," he snarled. And there went any pity I felt. Still, I couldn't help but wince when Al knocked him off his stool with a back hand to the face.

Al waited while Nick regained his feet, inspecting his nails. "What do you say, Nick?"

Teeth clenched, Nick glared at me with barely restrained fury. "Apologies, master. I meant no offense to your whore." I closed my eyes and heard a body slam into the wall. Part of me was dying to get over there and stop Al from beating Nick, but the rational side of me froze my feet where they were. I had no right to interfere with the 'training' of a familiar and I didn't want to incur Al's wrath. He might like me and we might have a budding friendship, but he could -and would- turn on me if I got in his way.

A quiet murmuring followed by a gasp drew my gaze to Nick, still slumped against the wall, Al leaning over him with the fierce grin I knew only too well. Nick paled in fear at whatever Al was saying and the demon stood, straightening his cuffs. He picked up the bottle and sauntered over to me. "No worries, itchy-witch. You will receive proper respect from now on. Right, Nick?"

Al glanced over his shoulder at Nick, who grimaced. "Yes, master." Al started to turn and Nick bowed his head. "Apologies, mistress." _Mistress?_ Oh, that had to be killing him.

I gave him a small, close-lipped smile. "Apology accepted." I turned my eyes to Al, dismissing Nick as the piece of crap he was. "What did you want to talk about, Al?" He smiled and gestured to the small sitting area. I chose the seat nearest the fire and sat my bag at my feet.

Al crouched near the fire and a nearly empty bag of marshmallows appeared in his hand. "Treat, Rachel?"

"Sure. Thank you." The demon speared two of his precious puffs on the toasting fork and stuck it over the fire. When they were done, he handed me one and gingerly took the other, hanging the fork next to the hearth. "So, what's up?"

Popping the marshmallow in his mouth, Al crossed his legs and looked thoughtful for a moment, chewing slowly. Narrowing his eyes slightly he followed my gaze to Nick, who was watching us rather than doing his copying. Not looking away from Nick, Al waved his hand in my direction. "Excuse me for one moment. Meet me in our kitchen."

The training room misted out and the familiar sight of the kitchen formed. Finding the table empty, I started gathering the ingredients for the brush-and-wash curse. I still wanted Al's help to do it, since I had only twisted it once and was unsure of trying it on my own yet. I only had two more items to track down when Al appeared on the door glyph.

"That human is more trouble than he's worth." He made a disgusted sound. "I've never had a familiar so intent on making things so difficult."

"I'm not going to say I told you so… but I kind of did." I ignored his frown and gestured to the table. "Since I'm here, could you go over the brush-and-wash with me again? I want to make sure I have it down before I try it on my own."

"Why?"

_Huh_? "I just told you." He crossed his arms and raised one eyebrow, waiting. "What?"

"Did you use all three?"

"Uh, no."

"Then why do you need more?"

His tone was almost hostile, and I frowned. "Because I want to experiment with it."_To find a dress for the masquerade party._ The unvoiced thought intruded and my brow furrowed. Al didn't need to know everything. "You have a giant stockpile of curses. Why shouldn't I?"

"As fetching as you were, love, I don't think conjuring pretty clothes is a prudent use of the limited time we have together." Love? Oh, crap. He was not happy.

"Then why am I here, Al? I thought it was to learn to be a demon. What's more demonic than gathering up a bunch of curses for a rainy day? And I'm not even supposed to be here right now. I thought you needed my help with Nick."

His eyes narrowed as he flopped down into a chair. After a moment of silence so profound I could swear I heard the twisted creatures in that creepy tapestry speaking to each other, he made a gesture and the two missing ingredients appeared in his hand. I stepped up to take them and he grabbed my wrist with his free hand. I froze in his grasp and looked down.

"I am going to sell Nick."

I wasn't surprised by this. Nick was giving him issues and Al wasn't one to beat his head against a wall. Some part of me knew he would have to cut his losses eventually and get rid of the jerk. That didn't mean that I necessarily wanted that… rat bastard… to be sold as a demon's chew toy, but he dug his own bed against all the warnings not to. Time for him to lay in it. I winced when I remembered he probably _would _be in a bed, along with whatever demon thought he was pretty enough. It was almost enough to make me feel bad for him. Almost.

Al watched me with an intensity I hadn't seen in a long time. His grip tightened fractionally before releasing me. "What I wouldn't give to know what you're thinking, Rachel."

I moved a stray curl out of my face and gave him a rueful half-smile. "I don't like it, but I understand it. He's a pain in the ass and I can't blame you for not wanting to deal with him." I put the two small jars on the table behind me before turning back to the demon. "Is that all you wanted? My opinion on getting rid of him? You could have just asked instead of dragging me over, you know that, right?"

"I could have. But then I wouldn't have been able to do this." That was all the warning I got before he was on me, one hand on my waist, one in my hair, his lips working against mine. He took advantage of the involuntary gasp of surprise and plunged his tongue in my mouth, sending sparks of energy throughout my body. I pushed against his shoulders and he groaned in protest, finally backing an inch away from my lips. His hips, however, kept me pinned against the wall, a tiny rocking motion telling me he wasn't about to let me go.

"Don't, Al."

Warm breath tickled my neck. He didn't play off my scar, but my entire body tingled with his soft exhalations. "I have to. I can't…" He nuzzled my ear, tickling it with his lips. "Just think how good we would be together." He nipped gently. "So good it would be sinful."

Several flashbacks assaulted me at once. Al pinning me against the wall the first time we kissed and I almost fried him. The time when I straddled him on the couch. The time in his bedroom… just the thought of coming like that with only a kiss and some outside-the-clothes touching sent a frisson of lust down my spine. God help me, he was right. We _would_ be good together.

Then a tanned blond intruded. I didn't want to like this one either, but I did. Since seeing behind his businessman persona on our Great American Road Trip, I had to admit I was smitten with the elf. It wasn't just his body, although the acres of lean muscle didn't hurt. It wasn't even the fact that he saved my life or stood with me against a demon, even sacrificing half his hand for it. It was that he was more than a murdering, bio-drug running, former city councilman, ex-elf-in-hiding… he was a person now. I could see why he inspired such loyalty in his employees, and it wasn't purely the excellent benefits or the blackmail.

Dammit. Why did this have to be so complicated?

Al let me work through my thoughts, his eyes never leaving mine. I could feel the hand at my waist moving slightly, caressing me through the fabric of my shirt. Refocusing on his face, I saw his lips curve in a tiny smile. "Penny for your thoughts, kitten?" The pet name surprised me. He never used them except when he was angry, but now...

"Al, I…"His eyes focused on my neck and he leaned in slowly, telegraphing his intent. Tongue and lips and teeth ran up and down the length of my vamp scar, never stimulating it but reducing me to a big pile of mush anyway. "I, uh, I can't- can't think when you do… that."

I could feel his smile along the line of my pulse. "You think too much, kitten."

That startled a laugh out of me. Normally everyone told me to use my head more, not less."You _have_ met me, right?"

Hooded eyes met mine as he pulled back a fraction. "Yes. And I'm glad I did." His cultured voice was husky with lust and unvoiced thoughts. His hair was soft around my fingers, his pulse beating rapidly under my thumb. _Wait, when did my arms go around his neck?_

"Really?" I couldn't have stopped the whispered question if my life depended on it. Quirking one eyebrow, Al chuckled and leaned in, so close I was afraid to breathe.

"Really."

Lifting my face a fraction of an inch, I pressed our lips together and was lost. Unlike any of our previous kisses, this one was soft, tender, a slow exploration. No ley energy was touched, no lines pulled, no scars played. He went slow, letting me set the pace, and I realized that he was going to make me initiate everything that happened between us. Make me decide how far we went. Make me acknowledge that I wanted him as much as he wanted me.

I traced my tongue across the seam of his lips and he opened with a masculine sigh. Pulling him into me, I raised one leg, hitching it over his hip. The hand on my waist travelled down to my thigh, holding it in place. I moaned as his hardness ground against my center, making me shiver.

With a tiny nip to my lower lip, he retreated. Mussed hair, reddened lips and hooded eyes looked down on me. Fingers lightly kneaded and caressed my thigh. His sideways pupil was dilated with lust and I could see my reflection. Bright eyes, flushed cheeks, swollen lips… I looked well fucked, and we hadn't gone past kissing yet. "Rachel…" The unspoken question hung between us for an infinite moment. Could I really do this? Could I admit to myself that I truly wanted him?

"Yes."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** This one a lot shorter than any other chapters, but you'll see why. To be honest, I teared up while writing this chapter. As always, reviews are love and constructive criticism is always appreciated.

**This chapter contains lemons, so readers beware.**

I don't own anything related to the Hollows. That honor belongs to the lovely Kim Harrison... I am so jealous.

* * *

The genuine smile that met my acceptance was breathtaking. Sure, Al had smiled before, but this was something else entirely. It was the difference between night and day, black and white, up and down. My breath caught and my heart gave a jarring thump when I realized just how beautiful he really was.

Blushing furiously, I looked away from the emotion shining in his expression. If I let this happen, there was no going back. He would never let me and –I swallowed a lump in my throat- I didn't know if I would want to either. And that scared me to death.

Gentle fingers touched my chin and drew my eyes back to his face. Al must have seen my last-second panic because his smile was gone, a wary look of concern etched on his features. I had an incredible urge to reach up and smooth the line between his furrowed brows.

"Last chance to say no, kitten. I won't force you, but I'll never stop trying."

The decision that had seemed so much simpler a minute ago now held all the appeal of rolling around naked in a pit of broken glass. He didn't say it, but I knew that no matter what my next words were, things could never go back to the way they were. If I said no, he would retreat and turn into the harsh taskmaster I knew he could be and I would get no more glimpses into Al-the-person, only Al-the-demon. He would still try to get me in bed but would always hold himself apart from me, the pain of my rejection weighing on whatever relationship we would have.

If I said yes, I would be accepting him into my heart and he would take up residence. Contrary to popular belief, I didn't sleep with anyone that crossed my path. Every single man I had taken to bed was because I had deep feelings for them. There were only two exceptions to that rule: Marshal, who I truly liked and thought was the beginning of something magnificent; and Trent. That momentary libido rush was a combination of feelings left over from the road trip and the frank, open communication we had finally established. We had a love-hate relationship and right now we were firmly on the love side. _Stupid, stupid witch_.

The light bulb finally clicked on and I realized what my problem was with this whole situation. It wasn't a choice between Trent and Al. It was whether I would be who I was born to be or whether I would continue to deny it, striving for a life I wanted desperately but knew I could never have. Striking me like a ton of bricks, the epiphany swirled around my head, taunting me with 'could-a, would-a, should-a'.

The fingers along my jaw stopped moving and I pulled out of my thoughts, refocusing on Al. His eyes shuttered as I watched and a tiny muscle in his jaw twitched. He started to pull away and a sense of panic washed over me. I pressed my hand against his and rubbed my cheek against his open palm. Lips parted in surprise, he stilled and watched me carefully.

Something niggled at me and I had to know before anything else happened. "I just have one question, Al."

"Mmm?" Visibly bracing himself, he waited for it, worried about whatever bomb I was about to drop.

"Why 'kitten'?" One side of his mouth lifted in a relieved smile and I couldn't help but return the gesture.

"Because you're small…" He kissed the top of my head.

"…fuzzy…" He tugged a single curl.

"…aren't afraid to use your claws…" He rubbed my hand and placed it around the back of his neck.

"… and mostly…" He dragged both hands down to my hips and pulled me hard against his erection. Leaning in, he stopped just before our lips touched and gave me a cocky grin. "Mostly, because I love the pussy."

Before the last bit sunk in he was kissing me. Distantly, I felt the familiar sensation as he misted us somewhere else. I clutched at him when gravity shifted and he chuckled into my mouth. Silk rustled as he laid me down.

Breaking away from his lips to get a breath, I opened my eyes to see a deep green canopy over us. To either side was what seemed like acres of mattress. Warm fingers stroked the bare skin of my stomach and I looked down at the demon. His eyes never leaving mine, he pressed open-mouthed kisses in a scorching line down to my jeans. "Say yes, kitten. Please, say you want this."

Unable to form any coherent thoughts, let alone speak, I reached down and ran my fingers through his hair. Eyes fluttering closed, he leaned into the caress and my throat tightened. "Please…" The harsh whisper made him smile and he opened his eyes again. I was blown away by the feeling in that one simple look. Dexterous fingers unsnapped my jeans and I lifted my hips in silent acquiescence.

Gently, but with no wasted movement, he pulled off my pants and underwear with one quick motion. I propped up on my elbows and wiggled out of my shirt and bra. Tossing the clothing somewhere off to the right, I turned my attention back to Al, who was sitting back on his heels and looking at me with undisguised longing. I knew that I wasn't too hard on the eyes most of the time, crazy hair notwithstanding, but in that moment I felt truly beautiful.

"God, Rachel, you are…" His heated gaze raked over me and I flushed, not used to such close scrutiny. When I tried to cover up the important bits, Al grabbed my hands and pushed them to the side. "Let me look at you."

"Al, I-"

"Sh." He picked up my left leg and kissed the inside of my ankle. Little sparks of energy floated from his lips and made me gasp when they connected to my skin. Slowly, he made his way up my leg, spreading my thighs and just looking when he reached the top. I shuddered when he glanced up, naked hunger coloring his features. Fascinated, I watched as his head lowered.

I cried out when soft lips met my heated flesh. The tongue that had earlier snaked suggestively around marshmallows now wound its way around my most sensitive spots, flicking gently. A deep growl vibrated throughout my whole body as Al attacked me with renewed fervor. His tongue moved in ways tongues shouldn't, licking and thrusting and massaging in ways I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams. Pressure built in the base of my spine until I was writhing uncontrollably, nearly sobbing with need. "Al, please… please, oh God, Al…"

He hummed softly against my clit and I exploded, screaming his name as I came. Riding me though it, he only pulled back when I cried out in near pain at the hyper-sensitivity. Licking his lips with a purely male look of accomplishment, he crawled up my heaving body. A wash of ever-after coated him as he moved, taking his clothing with it as it dissipated.

Nudging my legs further apart, he settled between them and took my mouth with his own. I could taste myself on his lips and it sent a new wave of desire through me. Shifting his hips, I felt his hardness prodding my thigh. My eyes widened when I realized how big he was.

I broke away from his lips and moved toward his ear. Al made himself comfortable with my neck as I tried to catch my breath. When I was reasonably sure I could speak, I pulled his hair lightly. He moved back and looked down at me with curiosity.

My voice was husky when I finally found words. "Don't hurt me, Al." I meant with the immense size of his cock, but something broke deep inside me with the simple phrase. Tears threatened and my voice cracked. "I don't think I can take it."

Understanding dawned and his expression softened. "I would never hurt you, kitten."

"You will. They always do."

One thumb reached up to swipe away an escaped tear. "I am not them, Rachel. Trust me, love." The pet name usually reserved for when he was irritated held none of its former meaning and was imbued with a whole new depth of feeling. Leaning back down, he kissed me softly. The dam broke and tears flowed down my cheeks. I gripped him as hard as I could, needing to feel the emotion. Needing the tenderness. Needing _him_.

He made love to me slowly, bringing us both to peak after peak. With unending patience, he broke down every barrier I had erected around my heart, one wall at a time. When we were finally spent, he cradled me in his arms and I sobbed like a baby, completely unprepared for the experience and the rush of emotion that blindsided me.

I loved him. God help me, I was in love with a demon.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** Hey all. Just a quick little note before I let you continue on with the story. Regarding chapter length, I just want to tell you that I'm going to be considerably cutting it down from now on. Trying to bust out 4k-6k is getting to be a bit much, especially when I'm working on a few original stories at the same time. So for the foreseeable future, the chapters will be cut down to more manageable chunks. I'll still be bringing the Rachel Morgan goodness to you, just in smaller portions.

Anyways, reviews are love, constructive criticism is always appreciated, and I don't own the Hollows or anything related to them. Damn you, Kim Harrison, I want your brain for coming up with this series.

* * *

The whole church smelled like a bakery. Considering the four dozen cookies, two batches of brownies, and the three layer cake I was currently frosting, it was no wonder. The pixy kids were making enough noise to wake the dead as they played in the warm updrafts from the oven. Bis was perched on the fridge, shifting every so often as he watched with sleepy interest. Ivy and Jenks had gone out to do some more recon for a run, leaving Belle, Bis, and me to take care of the brood. The wingless fairy sat on an upside-down glass, hissing occasionally when the kids got too rowdy.

Al kept his word and had returned me to the church just before sunrise. Before we left his bedroom kissed me again, saying more with his actions than he ever could with words. I really appreciated him acting normal when we appeared in the kitchen. Ivy was asleep already, but the pixies were wide awake and anything weird between us would have caused a huge uproar. He gave me one of his usual lascivious comments and a slow wink before disappearing. He wouldn't be so chivalrous a second time.

After a solid six hours of sleep, I got up and the bake-a-thon began. Everyone knew this meant I needed to think and for once, the inquisition was mercifully short. Part of it was that they had a run, part was that it would be impossible to have a quiet conversation with the kids inside for the winter, and part was that I refused to say anything about it. Ivy and Jenks had shared a loaded _look_ and agreed to table their questions for another time. I was under no delusions that they were done with the subject.

I loved them both dearly, but sometimes I could strangle them.

As for my personal breakthrough, I was torn between hating myself and rabid happiness. Right now, it was a close tie between the two. Even though I spent an amazing night in his arms, I couldn't seem to get past the fact that Al was a demon. And not just any demon… the one who shared a long and sordid history with me. But that same history gave me a deep insight into his character that I wouldn't have had with anyone else.

It killed me admit it, but the biggest issue I couldn't get over was what other people would think. I mean, come on, I was _Rachel Morgan_. I walked all over people's preconceived notions constantly. I did things my way or no way and damn the consequences. So why did I have such a problem with this?

"That smells good, Miss Rachel." His voice was slow and rough, and I turned to give Bis a smile. He adjusted his wings minutely, resettling himself but not closing his eyes. There were still a couple hours to go until sunset so he was understandably lethargic. A long time ago, Al had mentioned that gargoyles didn't bond until they were at least a century old and couldn't stay awake during the day until they were two hundred or more. Bis was barely over fifty, had already bonded and, while he still slept a good amount of the day, he was awake for a few hours. He was a special kid and I couldn't be happier that he came here after being booted off the basilica.

"Want a cookie?" At his quiet 'please', I handed him one. I was swarmed by pixies asking if they could have one, too. "In the sanctuary. I'll be there in a minute."

The cloud of pixies swooped out of the kitchen and I breathed a sigh of relief. I loved them all, but good God did they make a lot of noise. Belle watched me with wide, black eyes as I plated a few cookies. I stuck my hand out to her. "Want a ride?"

Tilting her head slightly, she tapped her ever-present sword against her leg. "You are troubled." Her hissing voice was loud in the post-pixy silence.

"Uh, yeah." I didn't know where she was going with this, but I was sure I wasn't going to like it.

"May I assist you?"

That was the last thing I expected. Sure, Belle seemed to have forgiven me for nearly killing her entire clan and she had become part of our weird little family in the church, but we never really had a whole conversation and that seemed to be what she was asking for. My gut reaction was to tell her to go take a long walk off a short branch. Nobody would be able to help me with this, let alone a wingless fairy who I was sure still held some lingering resentment towards me.

Then my rational side spoke up. I'd been agonizing about this for hours and still had no idea what to do. There was no way I could talk to Ivy about this, and Jenks would be just as bad. I didn't want to bother my mom, let alone tell her I had fallen for a demon. Ceri would get it, but I was pretty sure the Kalamack compound had phone call monitoring and I had no desire to go there and possibly run into Trent. That was something I was _not_ looking forward to doing.

Belle was a girl, so she'd understand where I was coming from. Winged things had a tendency to see the heart of the matter and cut through all the extra bull. Maybe she would be able to shed new light on the situation. Mind made up, I threw a couple extra cookies on the plate to keep the pixies occupied longer.

-x-x-x-

After shooing a few stray pixy kids out of the living room with the promise of cookies in the sanctuary, I sat on the couch and made myself comfortable. Belle perched on the coffee table, leaning against a stack of Ivy's magazines, waiting for me to start talking.

I took a deep breath. "Well… I, uh… There's a guy I like. A lot. And Jenks would say he's Rachel Candy. Tall, built, _incredibly_ dangerous. And part of me knows he's bad for me, but another part can't see me without him. And I know, _I know_, Ivy and Jenks will never forgive me for liking him. I just don't know what to do."

Belle looked at me intently, her unblinking gaze mildly unsettling. "The problem is…"

My jaw dropped a fraction. "The problem is that I like him even though he's probably going to hurt me and I'll never hear the end of it from my friends." I frowned at her hissing laugh.

"Anything involving the heart runs the risk of hurting. You have to decide if the risk is worth the benefit of being with him. Ivy and Jenks may be upset, but they care for you. They will understand eventually and will be there if you do end up in pain."

I stared at the fairy, who busied herself with finger combing her hip-length hair. Was being with Al worth the chance of him breaking my heart? So much had happened whenever I opened myself to someone and I always ended up broken. But last night Al had taken down every single one of my defenses and treated me like I was made of spun glass.

And Ivy and Jenks would be upset. More than upset. They would be flat-out pissed. But then again, it was _my_ choice, even if it did end up being a stupid one. Ivy had no room to talk, anyway. I had hated Skimmer with a passion, but I didn't say anything against her even after she tried to kick my ass. Jenks had deemed himself something like a surrogate father figure and would disapprove of almost anyone I brought home, but if that person was Al all hell would break loose. I really shouldn't make my life decisions on what my friends think, even if they would be mad at me. I loved them dearly, but it was my life to live.

Dammit, I needed to talk to Ceri about this instead of speaking to Belle in semi-hypotheticals. I smiled at the fairy and stood up. "Thanks, Belle. You've given me a lot to think about."

She smiled, flashing a mouthful of razor sharp teeth. "Gentle updrafts, witch."

"And to you."

I walked back in the kitchen, finished frosting the cake and covered it tightly to prevent any pixy snacking. One tray of brownies and half the cookies were wrapped up just as tightly while the rest went in a big plastic container for transport. A quick phone call to Ivy gave me Jenks's okay to take off since they would be home shortly. Another call with only two switchboard stops got me Ceri, who promised she would be waiting.

-x-x-x-

I set the container of cookies on the table in the little breakfast nook and Ceri gave me a hug. I breathed in the scent of the outdoors, baby powder, and the faintest trace of burnt amber. She had been spelling for Al recently. Even though we had seen each other only a few days ago, we greeted each other like it had been months.

She waved a hand toward the sitting area in the middle of the room, but she saw my hesitation. "Rachel, what's the matter?"

"I need to talk to you. Can we go somewhere more… private?" Raising an eyebrow, she gathered all the things necessary for a pot of tea and we walked through the maze of hallways that was the Kalamack compound. She entered a code and a sealed door opened, the scent of wet dirt and growing things billowing out.

Leading me through the twisted paths of the greenhouse, Ceri stopped at a small seating area next to a bubbling waterfall. I sat nearest the pool and dipped my fingers in the cool water. Several koi swam up and nudged my fingertips, looking for some food. The gentle clinking of glasses drew my attention back to Ceri, who held out a steaming cup of tea. I took it, grateful for its comforting warmth even if it wasn't my beloved coffee.

We sat in silence for several minutes as I worked up my courage. She didn't try to force me, letting me collect my thoughts. This was why I loved her. She had a horrible temper and wasn't a very good teacher, but she always listened to what I had to say before passing judgment. Gathering up all my courage, I blurted it out before I could talk myself out of it.

"I think I'm in love with Al."

The silence after my declaration was deafening. I swear even the waterfall froze for a moment. Ceri took a sip of her tea. Only the slightest hesitation gave her surprise away. "Trenton cares for you, you know."

"I know."

I looked down at the stones of the walkway, suddenly absorbed in the tiny patterns they formed. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see blond hair swinging as she turned to face me fully. Coward that I was, I refused to acknowledge it.

"Why do you think you love him, Rachel?" I told her about our night together, leaving out the more sordid parts, and waited while she thought about it. After several more minutes had passed, the knot in my stomach tightening with every second, I pulled my gaze from the walkway and faced her.

A blank look told me she was still considering what I said. Tiny twitches of her fingers were the only tell that she was upset. Finally, I couldn't take any more. "Ceri? Please say something. You're killing me."

Seeming to snap out of her haze, she blinked and focused on me. "I can't say that I like it, but you've done worse." I frowned and she gave me a tiny smile. "Let me rephrase that. In my opinion, he really does seem to care for you, and you for him. I think it would be better if you could find love with someone who lives in this plane instead of the ever-after, but the heart goes where it will. Of all the demons I know, I am very glad that it is Al who you have found to your liking. Again, I cannot say that I like it, but you are my dear friend and I will support you with whatever decision you make."

I reached over the table and squeezed her hand. "Thank you, Ceri. I needed to hear that." I sat back in the woven chair and sipped more of the vile tea. "What am I going to do about Trent? And Ivy and Jenks?"

"You will tell Ivy and Jenks gently, bracing yourself for their reaction. They will carry on about it for a while but will come to the same conclusion I have. As for Trenton…" Her voice trailed off and she sat up straighter. A moment later, the object of our discussion rounded the corner, speaking softly to Quen.

The men stopped mid-step when they saw us, genuine surprise on their faces. _Good, they didn't hear_. Ceri made a tiny gesture and it dawned on me that she had muffled our conversation so nobody could overhear and she could hear anyone approaching before they heard us. I really appreciated her discretion.

"Hi Quen, Trent." Trent smoothed his hair and nodded, obviously preoccupied with something.

"Good afternoon, Rachel." Quen smiled at me before turning to Ceri. "Where are the girls?"

Ceri stood, beaming at Quen. "With the nanny. Rachel just came over to visit for a while." She turned back to me, her expression full of mingled concern and happiness. "Remember what I said. Everything will work out in the end. I'm here if you need any help, okay?"

I nodded and gave her a hug, then she and Quen took their leave. Trent stood a small distance away, seemingly torn over something. I had to admit that he was certainly a fine piece of man, even when -or maybe because- he was unsure of himself. The top two buttons of his shirt were undone and the sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Our eyes met and I gave him a small smile. That seemed to make up his mind and he took Ceri's vacated seat.

The ground shook for a split second, almost as if it was trying to have an earthquake. We looked at each other in confusion for a moment and I turned away first, knowing that this was going to be an excruciatingly awful conversation.

"What's up, Trent?"

He relaxed into the chair and sighed deeply. "Work."

"Work-work or hush-hush-work?" He looked at me with one raised eyebrow. I shrugged. "You don't have to tell me. Chances are I don't want to know anyway."

"Trust me, you don't." He ran a hand through his hair again, messing up what he had just smoothed down. "So," he met my eyes and smiled, "are you coming tomorrow night?"

"To the masquerade? Yes. Ivy and Jenks, too."

"Good."

Uncomfortable silence descended. I reheated my tea with the '_consimilis calefacio'_ spell Ceri taught me ages ago and sipped the dark liquid for lack of anything better to do. Tea was so not my drink of choice, but I didn't even think to see if they had coffee when I came in, I was so preoccupied with my thoughts. I could taste herbs that I used regularly in spelling. _What a waste of good materials_.

"Rachel, I-"

"Listen, Trent-"

We spoke over each other, both breaking off at the same time. "You go." I waved my hand at him and he cleared his throat.

"I just wanted to talk to you about… us." I forcibly held back a wince. "I told you that-"

"Sa'han!" Quen raced around the corner, stopping on a dime. "The lower labs-"

Trent stood up so fast the chair toppled over backwards, his face panicked. "The samples?" Quen shook his head and Trent cursed.

I stood and they both looked at me like they had forgotten my presence. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry something happened. If someone could point me to the way out, I'll leave you to this."

The two elves turned away and discussed something under their breath for a moment. Quen nodded at me and took off the way he had come in, at just under a run. Trent put his hand at the small of my back and steered me out of the greenhouse and through the house to the parking lot. Mind already somewhere else, he opened my door for me and was back inside before I had the car turned on.

I drove out of the compound slightly dazed. Trent wanted to talk about 'us'? The conversation I was planning to have with him just got more ominous. He thought there was an 'us'? We'd finally reached a point where we could be friends and now it had to get complicated. One word flitted around my brain, aptly summing up how I felt about the whole thing.

"Fuck."


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Wow. Sorry for the extended wait. My laptop died a painful death and I just got the funding to buy another one. I lost the next couple chapters I had written for this story and a few other stories completely. So... yeah. I've been trying to catch up on rewriting a lot of what I used to have and, to be honest, I'm not super-pleased with what's going on the page for most of them. With _Demon Heat_, though, I think this is a good thing. The next chapters weren't very good, so now I get to start from scratch with them and (hopefully) make them not so barf-worthy. Again, I'm really sorry for the unintended absence. I'm already halfway done with the next bit, so there shouldn't be an insane wait for more. Hugs to everyone and, as always, reviews are love.

DISCLAIMER-NESS: I'm not Kim Harrison. I don't own the Hollows. I've never even been to Cincinnati. I do live in Ohio, though.

* * *

The next day was somewhat hectic. Ivy was using Glenn as her plus-one to the party since, miracle of miracles, he managed to wrangle New Year's Eve off. She was adamant that they match and apparently he had gotten the wrong shade of silver for a cummerbund. Jenks thought the whole thing was hilarious and I had to admit that his color commentary of the situation was pretty funny. After Ivy caught him grinning at one particularly pointed comment, Glenn found himself on the receiving end of one of her infamous glares. He stopped showing any amusement after that, although I did catch the corners of his mouth twitching a few times as he held back a smile.

Jenks, in between bits of commentary, was getting fitted for his costume, as well. After Ivy and I received the invitations several of his daughters had gotten together and made him a tux from a yard of fabric I bought for them the other day. They had even managed to make a mask for him. He had tried it on earlier and he looked fantastic.

I was heading into my room to play with the brush-n-wash curse and figure out what I was wearing to the masquerade when I sneezed. I froze mid-step, hoping it was just a fluke. When the second and third sneezes came in rapid succession, I cursed inwardly and backtracked into the kitchen for my mirror. Smacking my hand down on it and trusting my fingers to make the proper connection, I growled a greeting.

_Who is this and what do you want?_

Amusement trickled through and I rolled my eyes at the familiar voice. _Why, hello to you, kitten._

A tiny shiver ran down my spine at the pet name. Refusing to let him know I liked it, I sighed deeply. _What's up, Al?_

_What are your plans for this evening?_

_A party. Why?_

His voice lost the teasing edge. _A party with who?_

_Ivy and Jenks. Is this just a social call, Al? Because I have things I need to be doing._ I couldn't decide if it would be worse if it really was a purely social call and he just wanted to talk or if he actually wanted my help with something.

_If the call is inconvenient, I should just-_

He broke the connection and I scrambled to get him back. "Al? Al! Come back, Al! You don't need to-" Burnt amber filled the kitchen and I pulled my hand from the mirror. It was stowed back under the counter when the demon finished forming, leaning against the fridge nonchalantly.

"What are you doing here?"

Goat-slitted eyes met mine over smoked glasses and he frowned slightly. "You don't seem pleased to see me, love."

I sighed. "Not right now. I have to figure out what I'm going to wear and get ready. So," I cocked my hip and rested it on the island, "What's up?"

"What kind of party is it?"

That was the last thing I expected him to ask. "Uh, a masquerade."

"Hm, a masquerade…" He sauntered over to me, his glasses disappearing as he sidled up to me. "And who might be throwing this masquerade?"

Looking at his raised eyebrow, I knew he knew and was formulating some devious plan in his little demon head. "Trent."

"And this is why you wanted me to help you with more curses, wasn't it, love?" That time the pet name was in the usual tones of derision and irritation.

"Yes," I muttered, knowing he could hear me.

Turning so he was barely inches away, he caged me against the counter, one arm on either side of me. My breath caught when he pressed against me and I cursed my racing pulse. Sparks shot through me wherever we touched and stopped in my core. A pathetically female whimper escaped when he leaned in, his warmth breath caressing my skin, his lips barely brushing the shell of my ear.

"Do you have a date this evening?" I shook my head. "Right answer, kitten." Hips rocked slowly against mine and I bit my lip to keep from moaning.

A thought occurred to me and I pushed on his chest. "Stop. Wait a minute." He backed up just enough so I could catch my breath. "Ivy and Jenks-"

"Can't see us or hear a word we're saying. Look."

A solid wall of black ringed us, following the path of the circle etched in the floor. It glowed slightly, giving off enough light that I hadn't noticed when he set the circle, closing us off from the kitchen lights. "What is this? How did you do that?"

He shrugged, his gaze never leaving my face. "It's a demon thing."

"So I can do it, too?"

"Eventually. But for now-" One finger traced my jawline and I looked at him again. "What about this?"

A wash of ever-after coated me and left me in a soft gold dress. Al looked at me with satisfaction as I turned, trying to see it. He made a small gesture and a mirror misted into existence, leaning against the island. I almost couldn't believe it was me in the reflection.

Half of my hair was held up by delicate star-shaped pins, the rest cascading down over my shoulders in loose curls. The strapless dress accented my meager chest, making it look like I had one. The shimmery fabric practically floated around my legs. Gold stars dangled from my ears and decorated a wide, flat necklace. Gloves covered my arms to just under the elbow. The entire thing was incredibly beautiful and very comfortable. Even though the heels were strappy and high, they were easy to wear.

I felt like a princess.

Al held up a finger. "One final touch." He stepped behind me and lifted a mask to my face, tying it and rearranging the curls to hide the ribbon. I was struck speechless all over again as I took in the tiny curlicues and stars on the half mask.

"Al, I… thank you. This is gorgeous."

He spun me around to face him. Bending at the waist, he took my hand and kissed the back of it. "No, kitten, _you_ are gorgeous." I heard a small commotion in the kitchen and the demon stood up, an amused smile on his face. "I think your roommates want in here."

Reaching behind himself, he broke the circle and turned just in time to intercept a pissed off vampire. Ivy growled at him and Al growled right back. I stepped out from behind him and Glenn, who was standing in the doorway, whistled. Jenks, in his little red tux, fluttered over and sat on my shoulder.

"Damn, Rache, look at you." Ivy heard him and broke her staring contest with Al. She was stunning in a silver gown that hugged her frame and flowed around her like liquid. "Ivy and Glenn are pretty sexy, too, huh?"

I had to agree with him. Ivy, after several hours of shopping, had finally found the perfect silver for Glenn's cummerbund and bowtie. The mask in his hand was silver with black swirls. The living vampire stepped away from Al and stood next to her date. They made a gorgeous pair. Ivy picked her mask up off the table, a delicate piece with a spray of silvered flowers that would flow along the side of her head.

Next to Ivy, I didn't feel much like a princess anymore.

Glenn looked at his watch. "We should probably get going." It was clear that nobody wanted to leave me and Al alone again, so the moment stretched into an uncomfortable silence. I couldn't take it after a minute.

"Why don't you guys go get the car warmed up for Jenks? I'll be right there." Realizing they were being booted from the kitchen, the three of them left the room, but I had no illusions that Ivy and Jenks weren't listening while Glenn went out to the car.

I turned to Al and pitched my voice low. "Thank you again. This is beyond what I imagined."

"Where is it?"

"Huh?"

He stepped close to me and lips brushed my ear again as he whispered. "The party. Where is it?"

"Why?"

He backed up and looked down at me, his eyes narrowed slightly. When he leaned back down, I couldn't help the shiver of mingled fear and excitement that shot down my spine. "The elf _is_ your date, isn't he, _love_?"

"No! I-"

"Then. Tell. Me." I told him the hotel. "Very good, kitten. I shall see you soon." He kissed the sensitive spot just beneath my ear and disappeared in a red sheet of ever-after just before Ivy and Jenks came back in.

Ivy took one look at me and crossed her arms. "Why was he here?"

"To help me. Is that okay with you guys?" The silence was deafening and I turned to look at them. Jenks sat on Ivy's shoulder, a disapproving frown on his face, and the vampire looked like I slapped her. Closing my eyes, I sighed deeply. "Sorry. But you guys need to get used to him being here. Often. I don't want to do this every single time he's here. Okay?"

Neither of them looked too pleased with that, but I refused to back down. This was the first step in weaning them into the knowledge that me and Al were pretty much an item. There was no way that I was going to let them win the first of the many battles of will to come. Finally, she huffed and nodded slightly. Jenks did the same.

"Good. Now I'm going to get my coat. To the party!"

-x-x-x-

Jenks huddled against my neck until I checked my coat. By then he was warm enough to flit alongside the three of us as we made our way through the stream of people heading towards the ballroom. The hotel was one of the fanciest places in Cincinnati and the ballroom itself took that to a whole new level.

Ivory walls were painted with scrolling gold filigree designs. A wall filled with floor-to-ceiling windows looked over the Ohio river, the lights of the city glinting off the still water. The room had two levels; a dance floor adjacent to a stage where a small string orchestra was playing, discreetly placed speakers pumping their music through the room, and a level two steps up, where dozens of small tables were set up for those who didn't want to dance.

Tuxedoed waiters circulated around the room carrying trays filled with champagne and wine. A table along the far wall was filled with various finger foods, the empty trays whisked away and replaced with filled ones immediately. Flowered centerpieces were displayed on every table and at different places around the room on pedestals. The entire thing was like a scene out of a dream.

What the hell was I doing here?

Ivy and Glenn excused themselves as a new song started, the vampire leading the way to the dance floor. I snagged a champagne flute from a passing waiter and walked around the room, Jenks flitting along beside me, providing more color commentary.

"Could that woman possibly be wearing any more perfume? P.U. And look at that guy. My tux looks better than his. And… oh, there go Ivy and Glenn." I turned to the center of the room and, sure enough, there went the pair, spinning along with the other couples. I wondered when Glenn had time to learn any ballroom dancing, smiling when I noticed that Ivy was leading him around the floor like a pro.

"Rachel?"

I turned and grinned when I saw the elves. "Quen, Ceri! You guys look amazing." That was an understatement. Ceri had on a purple gown that made her look like the royalty she was. Her mask was one of the handheld ones, a tiny thing with a butterfly motif. Quen matched her like Glenn matched Ivy – a standard tux with purple accents.

Ceri took my hand and squeezed gently. "Rachel, you look stunning." Blushing, I looked at Quen, who nodded and gifted me with one of his rare, genuine smiles.

"Quen, darling. Would you get me some wine, please?" Knowing he was being gotten rid of, the elf bowed slightly and walked to the nearest waiter, staying put when he got the obligatory glass and looking like he was guarding the bouquet next to him. Jenks flew over and sat on one of the larger blooms, striking up a conversation with him, leaving the two of us alone.

I couldn't help but smile at the visual, but it quickly faded when my attention went back to Ceri. "Have you thought more on our... discussion?"

"Yes. I agree with you completely. It would have been nice if my heart would have listened, but it didn't, so now I follow where it went."

She gave me a sad little smile. "I knew you would say that. Trenton is around somewhere, mingling, but I expect you will be dancing fairly shortly. Especially if Jenks stays with you."

"What do you mean?"

One eyebrow raised, she gave me a how-dumb-can-you-be look. "Jenks is the only pixy awake right now and everyone knows that where you two go, so does he."

I couldn't fault the logic. At least most of the guests hadn't realized he wasn't merely a decorative accessory since the five-foot bubble hadn't formed yet. I made a promise to myself that if one happened like at the charity fundraiser I was leaving.

Seeing we were done, Quen and Jenks made their way back to us, Ceri taking the glass when he held it out to her. Jenks sat on Quen's shoulder, entertaining the elf with even more commentary. I was glad to see that the two could finally enjoy each other's company, each having forgiven the other for the multiple break-ins/glass ball/sticky silk incidents.

A tall blonde man stepped up beside Quen and I smiled at him. "Hi Trent. Nice party."

He smiled his politician's smile, the expression never reaching his eyes. "Thank you, Rachel. You look wonderful this evening."

"Thanks. You, too." Understatement. He wore a tux that brought out the color of his eyes, using accents the same exact shade of green. The barely-there leaf pattern played tricks with the eye, drawing your gaze in all different directions. His mask was a simple green one with a black border.

"Care to dance?" He held out a hand. I exchanged a quick glance with Ceri, who smiled knowingly. Placing my hand in Trent's, I let him lead us to the dance floor. He put one hand on my waist and held the other out, with my hand still in it. "Can you waltz?"

"Not really. But I'm a fast learner." Taking the lead, he spun us around with the other dancing couples, avoiding my feet when I would have stepped on him. After a few turns I got the hang of it and he relaxed minutely. "So, having fun?"

He leaned in close to answer. "Not really."

"Why not? It's lovely."

His eyes flicked around the room as if only now noticing the splendor. "I suppose."

I frowned. "What's wrong?"

Green eyes met mine and his jaw clenched for a moment. I was about to change the subject when he spoke in a voice so low I had to strain to hear him. "In the greenhouse yesterday, when you left… One of my labs suffered a setback. We lost three scientists and months worth of samples and research."

"That sounds like more than a setback."

"It is. Which is why I'm not thrilled to be here, campaigning to the masses."

Campaigning? "Getting back in the city council?"

"If I can manage to get enough support by the spring elections, yes. If not, autumn will do."

I couldn't help but laugh at his tone. "Already back in your chair, Mr. Kalamack? So cocky."

At that, he gave me his genuine smile and my heart stuttered for a split second. "Not cocky, Miss Morgan. Confident."

"Keep dancing with the demon and I don't think your confidence will save you." People had finally begun to piece together who I was, since Trent was dancing with me. The notoriously single billionaire dancing with an equally notorious redhead? Yeah, I could just see the bubble forming already.

Laughing, he gave me an extra spin. "I'm sure I can find _something_ to fall back on, should it not work out."

We kept dancing when the song changed, both of us determined to make the best of the evening and to not let Trent's other problems or people's reaction to me intrude. After the second dance, we stepped off the floor. A waiter passed and Trent released my arm to grab two glasses of champagne. After handing me mine, he froze, eyes locked on something behind me. A strong hand touched my waist, sending a shiver all over me. Closing my eyes briefly so the over-perceptive elf wouldn't pick up on anything I didn't want him to, I took a deep breath.

"Hello, Al."


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N:** I'm alive! I've been severely neglecting my stories and I have no excuse for that. With the new Hollows book just released, I got some of my motivation back for this fic and I swear, even if it takes me forever, I'm going to finish it. Thank you guys for sticking with me. I'll make it worth the wait, promise. If there are any typos, please let me know. I've looked it over a few times, but I have no doubt I missed one or two.

Bullet point recap: Rachel and Trent experiment with taking their relationship to the next level. She takes off the charmed bracelet and Al is not pleased with her hiding, but is glad to have her back. After an evening out with Trent, Rachel realizes that she isn't meant for his life. Al calls Rachel to surprise her with Nick captured as his latest familiar-in-training. He pushes the boundaries of their friendship and she gives in, accepting that is what she needs. He refuses to let her run anymore.

-x-x-x-

"Good evening, love."

When I opened my eyes again, Al stood beside me. His tux was dark red, subtle stitching making it look like he was covered in flames. The shirt was black, as was his tie. Normally curly hair was straight and slicked back. The mask wasn't the usual masquerade fare; it was something the phantom of the opera would wear, covering one half of his face almost completely and leaving the other half bare… if the phantom would ever wear a red mask with a tiny, stylized devil horn.

Trent resumed his previous political expression, the minuscule twitching below his right eye the only sign of his emotions. The hand with two missing fingers clenched briefly. Our eyes met and I gave him an apologetic smile. He didn't acknowledge it.

"What brings you here, Al?" Trent's tone was so cold I nearly shivered.

Al squeezed my hip and grinned. "Didn't she tell you? I'm her plus-one."

The anger radiating from Trent was palpable. Al, although I could sense some minor irritation at speaking to the elf, seemed to enjoy needling him. I nearly rolled my eyes at their standoff. Instead of giving into the urge, I looked around for some sort of savior. My eyes met Ceri's and I jerked my head to the side. Shock registered on her face for a split second before she got her expression under control. She nudged Quen and the couple made their way over.

I took a step back to make room for them. Al's eyes flashed when he noticed Ceri. "Ah, Ceri, love. It has been too long."

"Good evening, Al." She placed one arm through her husband's and her other hand on Trent's. "To what do we owe this… pleasure?" The pause was telling and didn't go unnoticed.

"I am escorting the itchy-witch." He eyed the elves for a moment and smirked. "Of course, I wouldn't be opposed to taking a turn around the floor with you, my dear." Ceri stiffened and the men looked like they were about to jump on the demon.

I forced a light laugh and smacked Al's chest harder than necessary. "He's joking. If you'll excuse us, I need to have a word with him. _In private_." I growled the last two words at him and he grinned. That ass.

I steered him through the crowd and into a darkened office area. As soon as he was in I flipped on the lights and locked the door. His eyes lit up. "Oh, kitten, if you were this anxious to get me alone, you could have just said something."

"You jackass!" I punched his chest as hard as I could and ignored the twinge of pain. It was like hitting a brick wall. The teasing light left his face and he scowled. "Why did you have to say those things? Yes, you're a big, bad demon. Wooooo! There's no need to antagonize my friends just to get your kicks! I know you don't like them, but I do. Don't you dare try any of that bullcrap ever again, you hear me?"

By the time I finished yelling at him, we stood toe-to-toe, my finger poking his chest with every word. Goat-slit eyes stared down at me. A muscle in his jaw ticked. There was one moment where everything was still, the only thing breaking the silence the sound of my harsh breathing. Then he moved.

I found myself pressed into a corner of the office, Al's body blocking the rest of the room from my sight. He moved so quickly I barely had time to blink before he was on me. "Don't ever hit me again," he growled.

"I will if you deserve it," I said, faking bravado. There was no doubt in my mind that he could crush me in an instant if he wanted.

"You. Are. Mine."

"I. Am. Nobody's."

His eyes narrowed at my hissed words. "Did you forget what happened in my bed last night, love? What I did to you? What _you_ did to _me_?"

Memories resurfaced and I bit back a reaction to the bolt of lust that shot through me. "I know what happened. That doesn't give you the right to come over here and screw with the people I care about! You don't own me, so don't make the mistake of thinking that I'm some sweet, biddable little girl who'll fall all over herself when you snap your fingers."

"Trust me, love, after dealing with you for so long, I am well aware that there is nothing sweet or biddable about you." His hands moved from the wall on either side of my head to my wrists. Gently, but firmly, he pressed them against the wall at shoulder-height. "You have a bad temper, jump to the wrong conclusions constantly, fight with people just for the sake of being contrary, and seem to enjoy making my life a living hell."

My jaw dropped and I stopped struggling against him. Is that how he really saw me? Is that how I really was? Did I really make his life a living hell? Part of me knew his words were said in the heat of the moment, but didn't that just make them more true? I mean, they say drunks tell the truth… what if anger bypasses that filter, as well? Sure, I'd heard those things said about me before, but hearing them in that posh accent… after what happened last night… with these new feelings… Taking a deep breath, I drew myself up to my full height, looking away from his face.

"I'm glad to know exactly how you feel then, Al. I see that last night was a mistake on my part. At least you got what you wanted from me, so now you can leave me alone. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to the party." I pulled against the hands holding my wrists to no avail. "Al. Let. Me. Go."

"No." A thumb caressed the small, circular demon mark on my wrist. "You didn't let me finish."

"I don't care. I don't want to hear it."

Our eyes met and time stopped. I didn't realize he had let me go until he pulled the mask from my face. His followed a second later and he rested his forehead against mine. His fingers found the demon mark again and I barely stopped myself from shivering at the sparks the tiny touched caused.

Warm breath tickled my lips as he spoke. "You are all of those things and so much more, Rachel. Your temper ensures that things will never be dull. Your wrong conclusions, although aggravating at times, can be extremely amusing. The devil's advocate role I can do without, but you seem to enjoy it. You make my life a living hell because you piss me off to no end. You go out of your way to irritate me. You prefer the company of elves that tried to kill you over a demon that would do anyth- …me. You make my life hell because you drive me insane when you are with me… and it's a thousand times worse when you aren't."

I stared at him in shock. Did he just say that he would do anything for me? And I drive him insane in a good way? Mentally smacking myself, I forced my brain out of the instant replay. Al looked down at me with an unreadable expression, his face carefully blank. I knew enough about him that it was a sign that he was uncomfortable, probably because he had just basically admitted his love for me.

Another part of my brain spoke up, informing me that demons were incapable of love. What Al was feeling was probably just a combination of friendship, because there was no doubt we were friends at this point, and lust, considering our activities the night before. My heart panged at the realization that my love for him wasn't returned, but what else could I have expected? He was a born and raised demon. They were bred to think of anyone on this side of the ever-after to be inferior specimens. Al seemed to be a slight exception to the rule, considering how he had taken me under his wing, but that was just because I was the first female demon in thousands of years, no matter that I was turned into one on the wrong side of the lines.

He didn't know what he was saying. He couldn't.

Stuffing my unhappy thoughts to the back of my mind, I gave him what I hoped was a convincing smile. "We should go back. I'm sure we'll be missed by now. Can I have my mask?"

He frowned, confusion crossing his face for a moment. "Rachel, I-"

"I promised Glenn a dance. I need to go." Without waiting for a response I pushed past him and left the room. I couldn't help one last glance at him before closing the door behind me. His back was tense, one hand fisted at his side, a dark spot of blood escaping from where fingernails pierced his palm. My mask hung loosely from the other hand, his thumb rubbing the satin ribbon.

Back in the ballroom, Jenks and Ivy accosted me almost immediately. After satisfying them with false platitudes, not that I believed they bought it for an instant, I dragged Glenn out on the floor for our dance. He didn't ask me any stupid questions, like if I was okay or what happened, and I couldn't have been more grateful. He released me when Trent cut in at the start of a new song.

We were both stiff and lost in our own thoughts, all the earlier camaraderie gone. When I couldn't take the silence any longer, I looked up and met his eyes. "I didn't invite him, I promise."

Trent's shoulders relaxed minutely and his face warmed from its cold expression. "I understand you have a… relationship… with the demon, but I despise his very existence."

"I know." After all of our adventures and knowing the two of them as I did, it couldn't have been more obvious. But he was right. I did have a relationship with Al, no matter how unhealthy it might be, and the elf couldn't abide that any more than he already did. My mind was already made up about the conversation we needed to have and I knew this wasn't most opportune time for it, but it needed to be said once and for all. "Listen, Trent, I-"

He cut me off. "I know, Rachel. This isn't the right time or place, but I already know what you are going to say. Your face says it all, so no words are needed." The music ended rather abruptly and he stepped back. "If you'll excuse me, I need to go mingle. Until next time, Miss Morgan."

I mumbled a goodbye and removed myself from the dance floor. Managing to avoid my friends, I escaped to the relative solitude of the hallway. This night went from amazing to horrible in a record amount of time.

-x-x-x-

Two weeks passed in relative peace. Ivy and Jenks went on their runs and occasionally brought me along for backup, not that I was ever needed. Ceri called a couple of times but we always avoided any subjects that might bring up my current difficulties. The pixy kids and Bis invented a new game that irritated both Ivy and me to no end, the objective having something to do with our various undergarments hanging from the rafters in some sort of obstacle course.

Trent didn't call. Neither did Al.

It should have been relaxing, the extended stretch of time without any drama. Instead of the peace I would have thought came from such a break it only left me with more time to think.

I screwed up with Trent. Badly. We had finally reached a point where we could converse like normal people and then we both confused it with something more. I was the one who chose someone else. I was the one who didn't have the guts to tell him what happened when it happened and strung him along. I was the one who had the worst timing in the universe when I brought the subject up. "Oh, hey Trent. I know this is a New Year's celebration and that you're campaigning in a room filled with people and just had a massive setback in the research you're using to save your race from total extinction, but just so you know, I would rather fall in love with a demon than you. Awesome party, by the way." Yeah, that was definitely not a good one.

As for the demon, it was almost painful that he hadn't called me. So many times I had my mirror out, hand hovering over it to call him, but I just couldn't do it. Without actually saying it flat out, he had told me would do anything for me. That I drove him crazy in the best way. That even though demons couldn't feel love, he felt strongly for me. And what did I do? I ran away. My insecurities came to forefront and instead of telling him that I felt the same I took the coward's way out.

Burying my face in my hands, I leaned back against the counter and sighed deeply. The concerned gazes of my two best friends were almost palpable. Nobody knew why I was so broken up since the New Year's party except for Ceri, and even she didn't know the whole story. Al's words to me were just too personal for anyone else to hear. Stupidly enough, everything in the church reminded me of him. The bedroom, where I had succeeded in my curse and automatically had to call and let him know. The kitchen, where he had popped in countless times to aggravate me. That damn blue chrysalis that was so pretty, sitting innocently on the windowsill. Even coffee made me think of him and that raspberry concoction he got me hooked on.

Suddenly a sneeze rocked through me and excitement curled in my belly. When a second never came, the hollow feeling returned. I wanted to smack myself for the reaction. He wasn't going to call. Al did a very un-Al-like thing in spilling his guts to me and now he regretted doing it. There was no way he would put himself out there again.

So where did I stand with the whole thing? It sucked. I didn't miss the ever-after, but I missed the kitchen. I missed the quiet times when learning new curses and stirring. I missed the grudging approval when I succeeded in a difficult casting. I missed… I missed Al.

A chair scraped against the linoleum floor and I looked up, knowing Ivy would never have made a sound if she didn't want to get my attention. She stood on the other side of the table, straightening already immaculate piles of paper. Jenks hovered between us, silent for once.

"I know you don't want to tell me what's going on. I'm not going to ask. But you need to do something about whatever it is that's eating at you, Rachel. You weren't this bad when Nick screwed you over or when you got shunned." Ivy finally met my eyes. "We have a run. Think about what you need to make you feel better and we'll do whatever you need us to do to help when we get back." With that, she spun on a heel and left the room. Jenks followed after giving me a sympathetic look, uncharacteristically silent.

I stared at the empty doorway until I heard Ivy's car leaving and I snapped out of it. Was I really that down that Ivy and Jenks didn't feel like they could press me for details? Normally they would have tried to get me to spill my problems at least a dozen times. Granted there were some things that I didn't want to have to explain to them but, all the same, it felt weird to not have them throwing questions at me left and right.

I made my way into the sanctuary, stopping to run my fingers along the newly fixed pool table. Ivy had finally gotten around to calling someone to repair the damage and it looked brand new. Well, almost brand new. The wood still bore faint scars underneath the shiny veneer. Even though the playing surface had been completely redone, neither one of us could bear for all the whole thing to look perfect. Kisten had been an important part of both our lives and erasing the character of the table seemed almost like erasing the memory of him. Scars made it perfectly imperfect.

The metaphorical light bulb clicked on and I pulled myself onto the felt, sitting cross-legged and idly rolling the cue ball back and forth. Scars made us who we are. Even if the damage was fixed from the outside, the knowledge of their existence never faded. We all had our share of scars. Jenks had Matalina's death and Jax's defection. Ivy had the knowledge of her undead future and Piscary's abuse, not to mention the overwhelming guilt from her vampiric nature and the bloody past she had tried so long to leave behind.

As for me, I had enough scars for several people. From the literal ones like the vampire left on my neck and the demon mark on my wrist to the emotional ones from my sickly childhood to the knowledge my father wasn't actually my father and all the damage from my failed relationships to my official status as a demon, I was a big ball of scar tissue inside and out. That wasn't to say that I thought mine were any worse than Ivy's or Jenks', they were just different. I couldn't imagine losing someone I had loved the way Jenks had loved Matalina. Ivy had been to Hell and back several times and dealt with the fallout on an almost daily basis.

Yes, each of us had our scars and we each dealt with it in the way that felt right to us. Looking at the others, I let out a snort of derision at my own actions. I held in the pain until it exploded out of me, often with disastrous consequences. Even if I let it out before it reached that point, I always went straight to a righteous anger. I avoided the hurt like the plague and it always came back around to bite me.

This latest pain had to do with my demonic status and Al. Mostly Al, if I continued being honest with myself. There was no doubt in my mind that soon enough I would either need his help and advice or he would contact me with a deal of some sort. As much as I hated to admit it, I was one of only two female demons and if I didn't contact him first he would make my life incredibly unpleasant when we eventually got in touch. No room for illusions when it came to that.

Clenching my jaw, I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Calling for Bis, I went to my room and packed a bag, more out of habit than necessity. I knew I was only stalling the inevitable, but I couldn't help myself. The gargoyle sat on the fridge blinking sleepily when I came out, his tail tightly curled around his feet. "Miss Morgan?" His voice was rougher than usual and I had a pang of conscience that I had awoken him while it was still light out.

"Sorry to wake you up, Bis," I apologized, grabbing an empty sheet of paper and a pencil off Ivy's table. "I just wanted to let you know I was going to talk to Al and probably would be heading over there."

At my words his eyes widened. "Are you sure? I can't go with you, not now. I have to stay here in case something happens and-" I cut him off.

"No, that's fine. I know you need to stay here. I wanted to let you know what I'm going to do so you wouldn't be surprised when you felt the line move. Besides," I finished the messily scrawled note and waved it at him, "I doubt Ivy and Jenks will believe what I'm saying here, so I need you to tell them."

"What should I say?"

I sighed, remembering their earlier words. "That I'm doing what I need to feel better. I need to figure some things out and I need his help to do it." Bis gave me a resigned look tinged with pity and I nearly smacked my forehead. Of course he would know what was happening. Of all the people living in the church he was the one I couldn't hide anything from. Even though he was technically still a child, he had grown up in so many ways since we bonded. The same bond that allowed him to find me and save my life also gave him a direct line to my emotions, no holds barred. "Regardless, I'm going to need you to tell them not to summon me back until tomorrow night, at earliest."

"Are you sure you won't need me?"

"If I do, I'll pop into the line and call you, okay? You can get to Al's on your own, right?" His tail twitched in annoyance and I fought back a smile at his offended face. My hands went up in a peace gesture. "Sorry, sorry. Stupid question, I know."

His posture relaxed. "It's okay, Miss Morgan. I know I'm just a kid, but I can do a lot more than you think I can." He stopped me from apologizing again with a crooked smile. "Besides, someone around here has to know what they're doing."

I stared at him in shock for several seconds before laughter bubbled out. "You've been hanging out with Jenks too much."

"Maybe." His grin faded. "I hope you feel better after this."

Me too.


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N:** Reminder – This story was started quite a while ago, and as such the latest books are not included. This fic contains spoilers up to and including _Pale Demon_. _A Perfect Blood_ and _Ever After _were unpublished when I began writing this, so act like those novels don't exist, okay? I will be incorporating some of the smaller moments from those books, but nothing very spoiler-ish. Anyway, I love you all for reading. Reviewers and commenters get freshly baked internet cookies. The more comments I get, the more motivated I am to write and finish what is started.

That being said, a special thank you goes out to 'ItchyWitch' and 'furygrrl' for their reviews on the last chapter. Seriously, you guys rock in the most epic of ways. I love you in a totally-platonic-but-I'll-still-help-your-fangirl- tendencies way. *hugs*

-x-x-x-

Even after sweeping the stone slab clear of snow and with the barrier of my coat between me and the concrete, it felt like sitting on a block of ice. I could have easily stepped into the ever-after and been spared the frigid weather, but I didn't know how my presence would be taken.

Pressing my palm to the wine colored glass, I took a deep breath. _Calling Al, come in, Al._

_Al's line. Whom may I say is calling?_

The unexpected voice caught me off guard and I blinked in surprise. "Nick?"

_What do you want?_ The messaged came tinged with fury and resentment, no longer the coolly impersonal greeting that threw me off guard. _I asked what the fuck you wanted, bitch._ Yep, definitely Nick.

"Put Al on."

_No._

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

_You heard me. Go fuck someone else's life up, whore._ The connection snapped shut and the force of him mentally slamming the door in my face nearly made me lose balance. I put my hand back on the glass.

_Al's line. Whom may I-_

"Put him on, now."

_Fuck off._ The connection broke again. I tried again.

_Al's-_

"Goddammit, Nick! Hang up on me again and I swear I'm coming over there myself!"

This time I was thrown back so hard it felt as if I was smashed in the face with a hammer. When I regained equilibrium, I was pissed off. With jerky movements I stuffed the mirror in my bag and stepped through the line. A sickly red landscape took shape and I drew a small circle around myself, knowing Al would feel it. I had done this a few times and knew better than to hang around on the surface and risk the lesser demons getting to me. Only a moment passed before a figure misted in front of the bubble. Unfortunately, it wasn't the someone I wanted to see.

"My, my. Rachel Mariana Morgan, what are you doing on this side of the lines?"

"Hi, Newt." By the time I finished speaking, she had transformed from her masculine robes to a feminine kimono with pink chrysanthemums embroidered along the hem.

Waving a painted fan slowly, she took in my appearance. "You wouldn't be here to speak with Gally, would you?" Her eyes narrowed as if daring me to contradict her.

"As a matter of fact, I am. His familiar refused to let me talk to him, so I came over in person."

"Hm." She considered this for a moment and smiled. I forcibly held back a flinch at her shark-toothed grin. "Since Gally doesn't seem to be available at the moment, let me escort you somewhere less… this."

My eyes widened. "Really, that's not necessary. I'm sure he-" I cut myself off when she touched my bubble with one finger and it disappeared.

"Nonsense. We demonesses must stick together, yes?" She took my arm in hers. "Your magic tastes lovely. Like coffee and… cocoa?" Newt cocked her head as she thought, licking her lips. "Yes. Cocoa."

"Uh…"

She closed the fan and tapped my nose with it. "It is of no matter. I shan't kill you yet. Care for a bite to eat?"

Without waiting for an answer, she misted us to a generic hallway. It stretched as far as the eye could see in both directions, broken up in equal intervals by plain wooden doors with tiny silver nameplates on each. She flung a door open and shoved me inside.

Ever-after washed over me and I squinted in the heat. My winter clothes had been replaced with khaki shorts and a blue tank top. Newt wore white shorts and a red t-shirt. She handed me a pair of sunglasses and I gratefully blocked out the blazing sun. Surprise, surprise, Dalliance had the desert showing again.

Dali himself rushed out from behind the car, where I assumed the kitchens were, a greasy smile on his face. "Newt, how lovely to see you again! And Rachel, too? How wonderful to-"

"Can it, Dali. Where can we sit?"

He took the clipboard from the host and frowned slightly. "I don't see a reservation…"

Newt raised an eyebrow and said nothing. I cleared my throat. "I didn't need one last time I was here."

Dali's eyes looked up from the paper and flicked from me to Newt and back again. "Yes, well…"

Cocking my hip, I gave him the look I reserved for misbehaving pixy kids. Newt glanced at me and copied the expression, her amusement clear with every breath. I knew I couldn't trust Newt with a blunt spoon but found myself enjoying the company, as dangerous as it was. It was better than sitting in the surface wasteland.

A muscle in Dali's jaw ticked. "This way, ladies." He led us towards the car-kitchen and I cleared my throat again. Without breaking stride he veered to the right towards an empty table near the edge of the picnic area. He waved towards the seats and before we had taken them, he was gone. A waiter appeared seconds later.

"Two bombers. Chicken for me. Rachel?"

Both Newt and the waiter turned to me. "Um, cheeseburger?" He smiled and walked away. Newt's gaze never left me. I had been subjected to her attention far too many times… oh, who am I kidding? With Newt, once was too many times. Regardless of how many times she sought me out, being around her was always a double-edged sword. On one hand, nobody was likely to mess with me. On the other, she was just as likely to decide I was too powerful for my own good and take me out. Or not demonic enough. Or not clever enough. Hell, wearing the wrong earrings might make her want to kill me. You never knew what might set Newt off on one of her psychotic fits.

Uncomfortable with her examination of my features, I looked around the by now familiar restaurant at the demons filling it. Some were eating, some were involved in conversation, but the majority were staring at the two of us, not even bothering to hide it.

"I know."

My attention snapped back to Newt, who now had a head of curls that resembled mine, only a stark black. The waiter reappeared with our drinks and she took hers without glancing in his direction. "I know," she repeated.

"What do you know?" I didn't want to ask, but…

She sipped the drink before answering. "I know lots of things. I know Dali is fuming in the kitchens about us being here. I know that I'm the last demon you'd like to be eating with. I know you are angry with Gally's new toy. I know that Ku'Sox wants your head on a platter. I know lots of things." The last was said with a scowl and I swallowed nervously.

"I know you know lots of things, Newt. I didn't mean it that way. I was asking what you were talking about when you said 'I know'."

"Oh that?" The scowl flipped to a smile but the hard look never left her eyes. "I know about you and Gally."

Oh shit. "I don't know what you mean." I cursed internally when my voice came out weaker than expected. How could she know? Who else knew? What did she do to Al? Is that why he wasn't answering?

The scowl returned full force. "Do not lie to me, demoness. I may be insane, but I'm not stupid."

Shit, shit, shit.

"You do know I told Gally I would kill him if he fucked you, right?" I nodded warily and she smiled again. "Don't look so worried. He's alive for now."

For now? Not good. "Can I ask you a question without you trying to kill me?"

She considered it for a moment, looking up at the sky. "I suppose. It wouldn't be right to take a life under the sun that you created."

"Why-" My voice cracked and I took a large swallow of my drink. "Why would you kill him if he slept with me? I'm sure all the other demons have sex. Familiars, other demons, humans… why can't Al? Why can't I?" I wasn't going to admit being with Al, so made sure to use hypotheticals whenever I could.

"That was more than one question, but the answer is the same. Because I said so."

My jaw dropped in astonishment. "So according to you I can't ever have sex? And neither can Al?"

"I don't care what you do on your side of the lines. Not. Here. And Gally's sex is none of your business. If he wants to know, he can ask me himself." Her eyes flicked over my shoulder and it took everything in me not to turn and look at who I knew was coming.

Al threw his legs over the bench of the picnic table and sat next to me, thumping his drink onto the checkered tablecloth. Even though his lips were curved into an indulgent smile pointed at Newt, the expression didn't touch the rest of his face. My heartbeat sped up a notch when I heard his posh accent.

"Newt, love, I didn't know you cared."

"Gally, dear, you don't know a thing." Anything else she might have said was delayed by the arrival of our food. The waiter looked at Al questioningly, but he waved him off.

My mouth watered as I looked down at the cheeseburger and fries. The platter came with a bottle of ketchup and I breathed a sigh of relief. It was nice to not have to ask for the condiment, and the food looked so good. I hadn't eaten much of anything lately, even though I had been baking nearly nonstop since New Year's. Digging in, I didn't even notice the slight burnt amber taste of the meat. If this was my last meal I was going to savor every bite.

Newt picked up a chicken leg and pointed it at Al. "I know what you did and I am not pleased."

"And what is it that I am supposed to have done?"

The leg swung in my direction. "Her."

I choked on the fry in my mouth and Al pounded my back. "Might I suggest we move this conversation to a more private location?" The fry dislodged from my throat and I took a big gulp of the bomber, looking around. Al was right, this was so not the place to talk about bedroom activities. Every demon in the restaurant had their attention focused on our table, even the staff, who snuck peeks at us between serving customers.

Newt took this in and glared at the other demons. All turned away but only briefly, until they felt her gaze move on. She bit into the chicken, ripping off a huge chunk. "Very well," she said after swallowing. "We will continue this in your library. Gally, lead the way."

A bubble snapped around my thoughts and we squeezed into a line. _Admit nothing, Rachel. Let me handle this._ I had no time to respond to Al's thought before we reappeared in the library. Newt popped in as soon as we moved off the door glyph.

"But my burger-" A Styrofoam box materialized before me and I caught it before it dropped to the floor. Inside I found my partially eaten sandwich and fries. "Thank you." I had no idea which one of them did it, but I was too ravenous to care about that. I claimed one of the wingback chairs and sat cross-legged, the box open on my lap. Newt gave me a minuscule smile, still angry, before turning the full force of her presence on Al, who had bent to start a fire. She sat on the couch and waited as he poked the half-burnt logs around with the iron poker.

When the fire was burning merrily, he sat in the unoccupied chair and steepled his fingers. "Did you bring Rachel over?" The tension in the air was so thick it was nearly visible.

"No. I found her wandering the surface. Your familiar seems to dislike it when she calls."

Al turned towards me. "You called?"

"Free imes," I said through a mouthful of fries, holding up three fingers. His jaw tightened and I swallowed before continuing. "He yelled and hung up the first time, and the other two he slammed the door in my face." Al's index fingers tapped against each other, his only sign of anger.

"I do believe I need to have a word with the rat."

"Oh, you have a new toy, Gally? I must meet him." I raised my eyebrows in surprise since she already knew that. Al shook his head in a nearly imperceptible motion. I furrowed my brow for a moment before it hit me that Newt was losing her grip on reality. Thinking about it, I realized she had been abnormally lucid the past several times I had seen her. I guess she still had her moments.

"Of course, Newt, love. I would be honored to show him to you sometime."

Ignoring his words, she stood and looked around the library as is she had never seen it. "Bats in the ceiling. Corpses in the dirt. Music in the flames. Blood in the air," she muttered as her eyes swept over me and Al. She focused on me. "Have you seen Minias, Rachel?"

I shook my head, remembering Newt's former bodyguard/babysitter. Al told me she had killed him when she found out he was slipping her memory erasing potions. "Not for a long time."

She frowned and transformed back into the androgynous form in purple robes that I remembered from the first time I saw her. "I must find Minias." Her eyes narrowed before she smiled the shark grin. "Us demonesses must stick together." With that she popped out.

Al slumped back into the chair, eyes closing as he breathed a sigh of relief. "That was close."

"I thought she was going to kill me."

"She probably was." Goat-slitted eyes reopened and focused on me. "Why are you here?"

Dropping my gaze to the Styrofoam container, I pushed the food around. My appetite had disappeared. I should have thought more about what I was going to say before coming over here. Maybe Nick refusing to let me speak to Al or even leave a message was a sign I was too thick to understand. It seemed so simple at home in the safety of the church. Now, with him in front of me, not so much.

"Ah, I wanted to talk to you."

I didn't look up at his snort. "And somehow you ended up having dinner with Newt."

"Yeah." Uncomfortable silence arose and I wanted to smack myself. This was all my fault. "Listen, Al, I-"

"Nick!" Al bellowed, cutting me off. "Get in here, now!"

The human appeared on the glyph, head and eyes lowered in submission. Fists clenched at his sides, showing he wasn't pleased about it. "You called, master?"

"Did I receive any calls while I was out?"

"Yes, master." Nick's gaze never lifted from the toe of his worn sneakers. He looked thinner than before, his hair hanging limply and covering his face. He wore a ratty Takata t-shirt dating back to one of his first tours twenty-something years earlier. His jeans were faded in a way that spoke of hard work instead of fashion.

Al glanced at me before returning his attention to Nick. "From who?"

"Nobody important," he said sullenly. His body went rigid for a moment and I realized that Al had forced line energy into him.

"Who called?"

Al slowly dragged the information from Nick, punishing him with more energy every time an answer was evaded in the slightest. By the end of the interrogation Nick could barely stand upright, his harsh breathing the only outward proof on the internal torture. I felt for him. I had been Al's familiar for a small period and having line energy forced through you was like filling a balloon to capacity, then putting more air in. Sooner or later something would have to give. Either the air would rush back out the opening or the balloon would pop… or in a familiar's case, they would go incurably insane.

Guilt swamped through me at Nick's situation, but part of me relished what he had become. It was a sort of poetic justice that he played with demons for so long and now the demons could play with him. He was a manipulative jerk of the first degree and thought of nobody except himself, even those he claimed to care for and love. He even had a file at the FIB large enough for its own drawer in a filing cabinet.

All that aside, watching him be tormented by a demon was nearly intolerable. Nobody deserved to be made into an object for someone else's amusement. I had no plans to take a familiar and this only cemented the decision.

"Make coffee." Al's order was accompanied the a slight pop as a small table appeared in the middle of the seating arrangement, all the necessities for coffee in place. Nick never raised his eyes as he dropped to his knees next to the table and started working. "Two cups." If Nick was surprised by the order, it didn't show.

I opened my mouth to say that I didn't want one but closed it when Al shook his head at me. The click of my teeth alerted Nick and he glanced up, quickly dismissing my presence before taking a second look, his face contorting in raw hatred. The bruises seen last time had faded completely, leaving him pale but for stark bags under his eyes. Jaw clenched so tightly the muscles in his neck stood out, he finished the coffee and stood.

Al handed me one cup and took the other. Uncomfortable silence reigned as we sipped the drink. I winced at the burnt amber flavor, but swallowed anyway. After several long moments, Al waved his hand. "Say what you will, Rat."

"You bitch. I swear to God that if I get you alone for thirty seconds I'll kill you. Look what you've done to me! I'm a fucking demon's slave!" The yelled words echoed around the library.

Instead of the expected rush of anger, I found myself resigned to his attitude. I guess that after so long, it just wasn't worth the energy to stay mad at him. I sat the mug on the silver platter and leaned back in the chair before answering him. "You did this to yourself, Nick."

Ignoring his sputtered protests, I talked over him. "Although I will give you credit for saving my life when we first met Al, you have done every stupid thing in the book and now you're paying for it. Don't get mad at me because you refuse to take any sort of responsibility for your own mistakes."

"Bullshit! This is all because of you, you fucking whore!"

"Oh, really? I'm the one who made a living stealing priceless items and selling them to the highest bidder, then backing out of the deal when a better one came along. I'm the one who held a gun to your head and forced you to summon demons and sell them information about me. I'm the one who had a dozen demon marks. I'm the one who set a circle through a phone line like a stupid beginner. Right."

By the time I was done his entire body shook with fury. "I don't care if it takes me a thousand years, I'm going to get you. Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but someday. Count on it."

Al sighed heavily. "That was the best you could think of? I'm disappointed, Nick, truly I am. How much more cliché can you get? Enough," he said, waving his hand once again as Nick started to say something else. "As entertaining as this has been, I'm afraid we no longer require your presence. Go directly to your room and stay there until I call for you again."

Shooting me one last glare, Nick stepped onto the door glyph and disappeared. I turned to Al, only to find him watching me curiously. "Was that enough of a show for you?"

He shrugged minutely. "I've had better." My eyes narrowed and he set his cup next to mine on the platter. "So what brings you here, Rachel? I didn't think you'd come back voluntarily."

Any anger I had about the confrontation with Nick evaporated and was replaced with anxiety. "I, uh, I just wanted to talk about what happened."

One eyebrow raised, but his blank expression never faltered. "I think we 'talked' enough about it."

"We haven't spoken since then!"

"Exactly." He stood and straightened his velvet coat. "Now if you will excuse me, I have things to do and little time in which to-"

"No." I stood, too, and blocked his path to the glyph. He could just mist around me, but it was the meaning of my stance that counted. At least I hoped it would. "I thought about it and I want to know exactly where we stand with each other."

The blank face turned into a mocking one. "I am quite aware of where we stand. You made it perfectly clear. If that's all, then-"

"Al, stop. Please." The please must have done it, because he sighed and straightened the lace at his cuffs.

"Fine. Go on."

"I just…" My words trailed off as the speech I had prepared fled my mind. Al waited, hands clasped behind his back as I searched for the words I needed. I took a deep breath and let everything out, letting go of all the emotion I had bottled up in the past two weeks.

"I miss this. I miss you teaching me. I miss that feeling when I twist a curse and get it right. I miss the kitchen and the toasted cheese sandwiches. I miss _you._ I know you don't feel the same as I do and that's why I walked out on you. It hurt too badly to know that I can't ever have what I want and you can't give me what I need, what I've been searching for for so long. But I realized since then that nothing can compare to this, to us, and anything is better than nothing. I don't know if it will hurt more in the end, but it hurts so much now without it that I don't know if I can take this, I don't know if I could survive that, but for a little while I just don't want to hurt. And you make me forget the pain, even if it's just for a little while." I laughed, more of a short, choked sound, really. "Hell, I don't know if that made any sense at all, but I hope you understand what I'm trying to say. It hurts when I'm with you, but it's a thousand times worse without you."

He blinked in surprise at his words coming from my mouth. The smoked glasses he had yet to remove disappeared and goat-slit eyes stared at me. I resisted the urge to fidget under the intense look. He moved suddenly, pressing me up against the wall in the same spot he had when he found out I was alive again. "What can't I gave you, love?"

"Wh- what?" I stuttered dumbly.

"What can I not give you?" His snarled words wrapped around my mind and held me in place as securely as his hands on my shoulders. "What have I _not _given you? I once lost everything because of you! Then I gave you more! What do you want, Rachel? What more can you possibly want from me?"

By the end he was shaking me, his fingers taking any impact I might have had on the wall. "What, Rachel, what do you want?" He stepped back, releasing his hold on my shoulders, and ran both hands through his hair in a gesture I had never seen before. His hair fell in disarray around his face as he looked into my eyes once more. "Is it something you can get from someone else? From the rat? From a witch? From the elf? What do you want?"

I swallowed the lump in my throat. He was still angry, no doubt, but his words had taken on a tinge of sadness. I took and step towards him and he tensed like I would attack him. I placed a hand on his chest, right above where his heart beat furiously.

"Love."

He looked down at my hand and back at my face before barking out a harsh laugh. "You want love? From _me_?"

My hand dropped. "Yes," I whispered. "Demons can't love. That's why I left. It hurt to hear all those things from you and know that you couldn't back them up. Not for not trying, I know better than that. But for me to feel it for you and that you can't feel it for me breaks my heart. And I know that you'll give me what you can, even if it never gets there. I can't be without you, so I'll take what you can give, Al."

"Demons can't love? And you'll take what I can give?" His eyes narrowed and a sly smile crossed his face. "That's right, Rachel, you're going to take what I give you, and you're going to take it all."

In one swift movement he grabbed me and misted us to his bedroom. Without another word he crushed me to his chest and took my mouth with his. The barely restrained strength and anger emanating from his every pore turned me on in more ways than I could count. Apparently my lust for danger was still fully intact and functioning.

He overpowered me in every sense, molding my body to his, dominating the kiss, pushing me towards the bed. I fell backwards when my knees hit the mattress and by the time I hit the velvet comforter all our clothes had disappeared. I moved backward to make room for him and he stalked me on his hands and knees following every movement with an unnerving intensity. He climbed over me and settled between my legs when I stopped.

"Oh, yes, you asked for it, and you're going to get everything I have. Every. Single. Inch. Of it."

His words sent a shudder through me and I couldn't say if it was fear or anticipation or a mix of the two. No matter that I had pissed him off, I knew he wouldn't hurt me. I trusted Al with my life. It was strange that the demon who once ripped my throat out and hunted me down mercilessly was the one who I trusted with everything.

His hand covered my eyes and he muttered something in Latin. When the weight lifted, the blackness remained. "Al? What the-"

"Quiet. You want everything I can give you? Show me what you can give me. Let me in."

Blind, I gasped in terror. "Let me see, Al." This was fear on a whole new level. My other senses picked up to provide the clarity I lacked. Velvet underneath me, a warm body on top. The scent of burnt amber wafting on a tiny breeze. The sound of his calm breath near my ear.

"No. Show me what you will give me, Rachel."

Is this what he needed to show him that I was serious about this? Did he want to make sure that there was nobody else? Did he not trust that I was telling him the truth? Whatever the reasoning behind it, I couldn't refuse him. I asked him for everything, how could I not give him the same in return. Relaxing, I reached out to his consciousness with mine and we connected mentally the same moment he pushed into me.

He hadn't been lying when he said he would give me every inch. My flesh stretched around him almost to the point of pain, but it only gave me the feeling of being exceptionally full. He pushed and pushed, rocking gently when he met resistance. When his hips met mine he had bottomed out inside of me and the pressure of him against my cervix was pleasantly surprising. He cursed softly, growling the words into my ear as he gave me a moment to adjust to his size.

We both moaned loudly when he pulled out, and sighed when he came back in. Rapid trills of mixed Latin and English fell out in his posh accent, but I was too lost to notice the words. I did notice, however, when images started flashing through my head.

My childhood illness, my first experience in casting, my time is the I.S., trying to catch Trent. Nick. Ivy. Kisten. Marshall. Pierce. My demon training. Every memory, good and bad, flitted through my mind in rapid sequence.

"Al, what are you doing?"

"Sshh." His strokes picked up and I clutched his waist. "Yes, Rachel."Another string of incomprehensible Latin. "Show me want you want. Show me _who_ you want." The whispered words worked like a command and he appeared.

In my mind's eye he wore the usual green velvet suit, smoked lenses perched on his nose. Then the image flowed into Ivy, wearing her riding leathers, tiny fangs poking into her lip.

No.

Ivy flowed into Nick and I shuddered in revulsion.

Never again.

Nick turned into Kisten, long blond hair, roguish smile, torn earlobe and all.

My heart panged in remembrance, but it still didn't seem right.

Marshall showed up next, his hair long from the lack of his hair-removal charm.

Still not what I was looking for.

The hair grew and suddenly Pierce was there, antiquated suit and all.

Not him.

The hair lightened and floated in a nonexistent wind. Bright green eyes shone as Trent looked at me, Lucy on his hip.

My body reacted to this image, but no.

Trent faded into darkness. The featureless black form stretched out, limbs turning thin. Wings sprouted from its back and horns curled over its head. One hand was held out, a perfect blue chrysalis held gently in its palm. Familiar eyes with sideways pupils looked down at me sadly.

My body reacted again, but more violently. Distantly I felt the body on top of me stiffen and curse in surprise. I ignored it, too caught up in the images in my head to concentrate on reality.

The sadness in the creature's eyes wrapped around it like a shroud and I noticed a small ring on its finger when it caught the light. There was something pitiable about him as he looked from the chrysalis to his ring and back. "Celfnnah," he whispered, the odd word holding a wealth of emotion.

Tears stung the back of my blind eyes as the creature snuffled in despair, trying to not cry. My mental self wrapped him in a hug and a warm weight settled against my neck, moist breath ghosting against my skin. Even though I couldn't see, my eyes closed. Burnt amber swirled around me and I realized that this was a demon. Was this what they originally looked like?

The body shuddered against me and arms wrapped around me and tightened, holding me like a lifeline. _It's okay_, I thought, _It hurts now, but in time you'll remember with joy_.

When he pulled back from the hug, I was stunned to see Al in front of me. Now this was right.

Another string of Latin echoed in my mind and when I opened my eyes I could see once more. Al looked down at me, his face slack with surprise. I reached up to brush the hair out of his face and pulled him down to kiss me.

Instead of the barely leashed violence of moments ago, he treated me almost reverently. When we came within seconds of each other, he buried his face in my neck and spoke so softly I could only make out the impression of words and the movement of lips across my damp skin.

"Al?"

"You are so blind, kitten." This time the words were crystal clear and I pushed his shoulders to get him to move back. When he did, the emotions in his eyes were so serious I couldn't have looked away if my life depended on it. "If demons can't love, why can you?"


	11. Chapter 11

I puttered around the kitchen aimlessly, straightening anything that looked out of place. Even though cleaning was a familiar's job, I needed something to do with my hands since my mind was in overdrive. Whatever spell Al had used to rummage around in my head had worked in reverse as well, to a lesser degree. I saw bits and pieces of his life, like a series of snapshots.

We both now knew what demons had originally looked like. I picked up his knowledge of how he moved from room to room through the glyphs. He knew that I really did love him. And I learned that his emotions ran deeper than I had thought. I didn't piece it together until after I woke up, but he had loved before.

Celfnnah.

His wife.

Something had obviously happened to her eons ago, but whether it was Newt that killed her or something else I had no idea. I'd like to think that it didn't matter, but apparently he still grieved for the loss, even after thousands of years. Sure, he showed me that demons had the capability to love. It still remained to be seen if he could love again. Love me.

With a resigned sigh, I reached up to a high shelf and moved a couple of books around so more would fit. I didn't worry about putting them in any specific order because he always seemed to know exactly what spell was in which book and just where that book was at any given moment. Once he even found the book he wanted to use for our lesson buried in the back of the food cupboard, underneath a huge bag of salt and a spare set of Ceri's old clothing.

A tube of violet glass glittered in the firelight when I moved a few books to the side. From this angle, I couldn't see what it was and no matter how I stretched, I couldn't touch it. After dragging a stool away from the table I climbed up and saw the prettiest bottle I had ever seen. It was perfectly see-through, despite the purple, and stoppered with another piece of glass and an intricate wire clasp. It seemed empty, but I knew better than to mess with anything in the kitchen unless I knew exactly what it was. Involuntarily my eyes wandered to a small bottle on the mantle where Krathion's soul resided. Shuddering, I turned back to the purple glass and pulled it forward so it would be within reach. Light diffused from it, sending rainbow sparkles of light around the shelf, and another glitter caught my attention.

I reached behind the row of books and grabbed it, only opening my fist when I was back on the ground. Two black rings lay nestled in my palm, one fitting perfectly inside the other. They were impossibly small and I guessed I would barely be able to fit the larger one on my pinky. Nobody could wear these unless they were a walking skeleton. A thought occurred to me and I sat on the stool, the legs thumping lightly on the stone with the force. He kept the rings. All these years and he kept them.

As if summoned by the idea, Al appeared on the glyph. He blinked in surprise at seeing me, then looked around the room. "Cleaning, I see?"

I didn't answer him and his brows furrowed. "What are you-" The words broke off when he saw what I held. "Where did you get those?"

I pointed at the shelf and he swallowed, carefully putting on his blank façade. Without another word, he held out his hand and I gave him the rings. They went in an inside pocket of his coat and he sat across the table from me. Silence echoed around us, only the popping and crackling of the burning logs keeping it from being totally quiet.

"You love her." He said nothing. "Celfnnah."

He flinched slightly. "It was a long time ago."

-"And you love her."

"I did. And then she was torn from me."

"No," I corrected him. "Yes, she was taken from you, but I didn't say you _did_ love her. I said you _do_."

He huffed and crossed his arms. "So you realized we have emotions, did you?"

"Don't be bitter. You know what I'm saying. Yes, you have emotions. I've seen you be happy, sad, angry, jealous… there was never any doubt of that. But love? I never saw that. Until last night when you said her name."

Silence took over again as he stared at me. One finger tapped against the table as he sat there, unmoving. I traced the tiny swirls and chips of the table surface, avoiding looking at him. I still didn't know what to think about what had happened. Yes, I knew demons could love and I also knew I loved him, but so much more had happened.

Trent, for example. I was slightly uncomfortable that I had shown his image such a reaction even if I couldn't help it. Whatever that spell was, it had kept me from hiding from myself and what I felt for the people I had seen. Sure, the elf was attractive and had become a real person to me instead of the murdering bio-drug lord, but I could never make it happen with someone who was so wrapped up in secrets and business on the wrong side of the law. Besides, if we did end up getting together, both he and Quen would probably insist on getting me a guard of some sort and there was no freaking way that was going to happen.

But Trent wasn't the issue. The issue was that I was in love with a demon, who still loved the wife he had lost over five thousand years ago yet claimed to have feelings for me as well. I couldn't dismiss the last part or I would be a hypocrite. I knew all too well how you could still love someone yet have feeling for someone else. Kisten and Marshall were the prime example of that.

"Tell me about her." If my words surprised me, they stunned Al. His mouth worked open and closed for a moment.

"She was… she was my everything. She made the hell I lived seem like heaven when we were together."

"Did Newt-"

"No. An elf." He spat the word and his long-standing hatred of the species became crystal clear. Elves and demons had a long and sordid history, but this loathing was personal.

There was much more I wanted to ask him, but I couldn't make myself form the words. After all, I hadn't even planned on asking him to tell me about her.

Sighing heavily, he slumped down. "She displeased him and he tortured her to death. I returned the favor when the war broke out."

I swallowed back tears. So much story told in so few words. "I'm sorry, Al." The simple words had no way of encompassing the guilt I felt for bringing up an obviously painful subject. He seemed to understand, though.

"Thank you, but it was a long time ago. Now, what about Rachel? What were you doing in here before I arrived? I have a familiar to clean."

I shrugged. "I needed something to keep busy and the room was a mess."

"And?"

Evading the loaded question was my first impulse but a raised eyebrow stopped me before I started. "I was just thinking. About what happened last night."

He didn't say anything, so I continued. "I told you what I wanted from you and you fucked me. You cast a spell on me. You saw everything. _Everything._ I don't even know where to begin with that."

More silence from him.

"Right now I can't decide if I'm upset about that or not. I asked you for everything, so I guess it's only fair that I give you everything of me, too, right? And I saw bits of you I never even thought of. Would you have ever told me about your wife if I hadn't seen you mourn for her? If I hadn't heard her name? If I hadn't found your rings? All I know is that you love her and I don't think there's any room in your heart for me. After all, you don't avenge someone you don't care about, right? But the look on your face when I had those rings… I don't think I'd ever be able to get that kind of devotion from anyone, let alone someone who is still madly in love with someone else."

Al stared at me for a long minute, then cracked a smile. The small smirk grew into a full-fledged grin and soon he held his stomach as laughter echoed through the room. When he saw my glare, he took several deep breaths to calm down and wiped his eyes. "I thought you were blind, kitten, not stupid."

My jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me. I don't know if I would have told you about her eventually or not, but that's a moot point anyway. I could tell you lots of things about my life, but keep in mind how long I've been around and how much I've forgotten. Remember, the wars were five thousand years ago and I was alive well before then. Five thousand years ago Egypt was only on its third pharaoh and Stonehenge was still a thousand years from being built."

I blinked in surprise. When he put it like that…

"As for avenging someone you care about, think about it. I know you know what I'm talking about. You want devotion, think about who took care of you when you were completely unable to care for yourself. Who helped you out with certain curses when he knew you were going to use them for someone else's benefit?" He cupped his chin in a palm, a slight smile still on his face. "Blind _and_ stupid, kitten. Blind and stupid."

I wanted to be offended by his words but the instant he stopped talking, my mind started working. He had avenged me when he thought I died. He was wrong, but Trent still bore the scars of Al's rage and Pierce was still held as Newt's familiar. He did take care of me when I was helpless after building the desert in Dalliance. His whispered words as he affixed the construct into reality slid through my mind again. _I think I got all of her… Oh God, I hope I got all of her._ And then he helped me twist the curse I used to dress up for dinner with Trent. For the masquerade ball he gave me one of his. Then he showed up and I was mean to him. Sure, he poked at everyone and made them as uncomfortable as he could, but that was just Al. He enjoyed needling people and, even though he despised Trent, did nothing more threatening than say a few sentences that weren't even threats.

He was right. Rachel Morgan was a grade-A, first class idiot. "I- You- But-" Way to go, Rache. Stutter some more, dumbass.

"_It's okay._ _It hurts now, but in time you'll remember with joy_," Al quoted me from last night. "I reached that point long ago."

"So, you do… me?"

"Actions speak louder than words, yes? Then I think I've proven my point."

-x-x-x-

**A/N:** Hey guys. Sorry for the wait, but writing this chapter was like pulling teeth. This is the fourth rewrite and honestly, I'm still not pleased with it. Something just doesn't seem right, but I can't figure it out for the life of me. Anyway, I hope it doesn't suck too badly.

That being said, I LOVE MY REVIEWERS! I can't even tell you how excited I get when I see the notification in my inbox that I got a new review. If I hadn't gotten such wonderful comments from such amazing people, I really don't think I'd have been able to finish this chapter. A very, very special thanks goes out to **furygrrl, ItchyWitch, ParanormalMoonlight, Deus3xMachina, **and **monai93** for being ridiculously awesome! Oh, the feels…

As always, reviews are love and constructive criticism is always appreciated.** *hugs***


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